The European Commission is currently reviewing two interrelated sets of VAT provisions: the special VAT scheme for travel agents, and the VAT rules on passenger transport. The Call for Evidence highlights that the current rules are difficult to apply in practice (e.g., the place of supply rule based on distance travelled) and create market distortion, as different modes of transport are […]
The Youth on Track coalition, uniting youth organisations, consumer groups, and environmental NGOs, is calling on the EU to address the issue of rail ticket prices that are often higher than flights and that of booking systems that make cross-border train travel too complicated. With the Single Ticketing Package and the upcoming revision of VAT rules for passenger transport, Europe has […]
Commission launches call for evidence on revision to Rail Passenger Rights
The European Commission is requesting input from citizens and stakeholders on a planned targeted revision of the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation. The legislation covers the protection of passengers travelling by rail in the EU and grants them several rights linked to travel disruptions during their journey, including:
Reimbursement
Re-routing
[…]
The Fifth Integrated Progress Report of the Ministerial Platform on International Rail Passenger Transport (IRP) was published in time for the meeting of the EU Transport Council in June, where it was presented by the Austrian and Dutch delegations.
The IRP was set up in 2020, tasked with a common agenda aimed at fostering and supporting the improvement of cross-border railway passenger […]
The European Commission launched a call for evidence on the revision of EU air services rules (Regulation (EC) N° 1008/2008). The current EU air services rules cover areas such as operating requirements, the freedom to provide services and pricing freedom. The initiative will update those rules in light of lessons learnt, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, changing market dynamics and […]
Railways guarantee safe and ecological transport of people and goods. When developed on the right scale and with an appropriate level of services, they play a crucial role in strengthening the economy, fostering social mobility, and improving access to employment, education, services, culture, and tourism. They accelerate the flow of goods, support business activity, and bring people closer together. […]
On 12. May, the European Passengers’ Federation (EPF) and the Smart Ticketing Alliance (STA) co-hosted a stakeholder event in Brussels, as part of the STA’s National Digital Ticketing Stakeholder Dialogue. The aim: to foster stronger collaboration between technical experts and passenger advocates.
Building on a first joint workshop held in February, discussions underscored the shared commitment to making digital ticketing […]
Today, EPF co-signed a statement, jointly with Age Platform Europe, the European Disability Forum (EDF), ECC France and Germany, and BEUC, calling on Member States to clarify, uphold and make more easily enforceable the Air Passenger Rights Regulation, and not diminish key consumer rights. We are very concerned that the current negotiations would roll back important passenger rights.
📍 Extraordinary […]
EPF’s chair Josef Schneider represented the passenger at the Greece Transportation and Infrastructure Summit in Athens on 30. April. He participated in the panel discussion ‘Promoting sustainable mobility and safety’, along with Stefanos Agiasoglou (OSY), George Georgiadis (UNECE, Inland Transport Committee), Brian Caulfield (Trinity College Dublin) and Vassiliki Danelli-Myloni (Road Safety Institute ‘Panos Mylonas’).
Josef emphasised that in order to […]
On 15. April, EPF Management Board member Willy Smeulders attended the Implementation Dialogue concerning high-speed rail in Europe, organised by Commissioner Tzitzikostas, which will also serve as an input for the development of the high-speed rail masterplan mentioned in the Commissioner’s mission letter.
Implementation Dialogues are part of the EU’s efforts to engage with companies and stakeholders to support compliance […]
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