Meeting of HŽ and CER Representatives

Today, Davorin Kobak the president of the management board of the Croatian Railways (Hrvatske željeznice – HŽ),  and his deputy, Marijan Klarić, met with the executive director of the European Railway and Infrastructure Company (CER), Dr. Johannes Ludewig and the CER advisor for Central and Eastern Europe, Ad Toet.

The participants of the meeting were informed about the current state in the Croatian Railways and about the HŽ restructuring project. They discussed European trends in transport policy in order to analyze all aspects of the mentioned restructuring project – because Brussels is leading a discussion regarding the growing importance and competitiveness of the railway transport, as compared to road transport. One mustn"t forget all the benefits of railway transport, when it comes to environmental protection.

The representatives of the CER expressed their interest to support the HŽ management in all segments of business since that was precisely their task. They explained that they had large experience – especially related to EU authorities.

 The European Railway and Infrastructure Company (CER) is a European organization for the area of railway transport. The Croatian Railways have become a full CER member on 30 October, 2003.

CER represents the interest of its members directly in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Ministers’ Assembly; in front of other transport policy key decision makers as well as all other participants in the transport sector.

Besides the regulation of the railway services market and all issues related to transport, the CER interest is spreading over a whole list of questions: the planning of infrastructure, the public service of passenger and freight transport, the protection of the environment and the development of social dialogue.

Numerous projects have been launched in areas of particular interest to the Croatian Railways, included are:

• Passenger Security Charter (CER/UIC/CIT)
• Financing of railway locomotives
• EU cohesion and structural funds
• Infrastructure – TSI and ERTMS
• Euro vignette
• Trans European network (TEN)
• Activity in the HR area – driver"s license for engineers, worker"s rights, safety and other

Special attention deserves the Program for the support of infrastructural and railway companies in Central and Eastern Europe. Considering Croatia"s planned joining of the EU, the HŽ launched a project for the drafting of a concept to enhance its competitiveness. The first results of the task groups will be presented in a pre-draft of the concept towards mid-December, 2005. On that occasion those results will be discussed by representatives of the HŽ and the Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development.

News from media