Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

The minutes of the 53rd Management Board meeting of 17 June 2020

1. DECISION n° 243  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document 2021

   This Decision refers to the adoption of the Single Programming Document 2021. The document takes the opinion of the European Commission into account, according to article 25.2 (c) of the Agency Regulation, as well as the outcomes of the consultation process in the course of 2020.

2. DECISION n° 244  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending DECISION n° 161 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the policy on monitoring the performance and decision-making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs) adopted on 29 November 2017

   This Decision amends MB Decision n°161/2017 and defines a targeted scope for the NSA monitoring. As in 2019 and 2020, the amendment was needed to ensure a balanced budget for SPD 2021.

3. DECISION n° 245  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending MB Decision n° 189 and n° 213 on the practical modalities relating to recovery of costs incurred by the Agency for its assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders on training and other appropriate activities

   This Decision provides the Agency with the possibility to recover costs when engaging at the request of the Commission, Member States, candidate countries or the networks, in training and other appropriate activities concerning the application and explanation of railway safety and interoperability legislation and related products of the Agency such as registers, implementation guides and recommendations (Art. 43 of the Agency Regulation). The amendment extends the validity until 16 June 2022.

4. DECISION n° 246  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2021

   This Decision refers to the adoption of the budget 2021 and the establishment plan 2021, based on communication COM(2020) 300 of 27/07/2020 on the DRAFT General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2021. The Commission foresaw for the ERA 2021 budget an EU contribution of 25.70 Mio€ with 151 TAs.

5. DECISION n° 247  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the statement of estimates 2022 and endorsing the Single Programming Document 2022

   This Decision provides a forecast of the expenditure and revenue for 20221. There is, however, not yet enough information in order to estimate the volume and complexity of the projects for vehicle authorisation, safety certification, which will continue to increase in 2022-2023. The Agency will be able to provide more accurate estimates for 2022 and amend the SPD draft accordingly before its adoption by the Management Board in November, based on the progress of work in 2021.

6. DECISION n° 248  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing a reporting officer for the appraisal of the Executive Director

   This Decision appoints Mr Hinne Groot as reporting officer for the annual appraisal exercise of the Agency’s Executive Director until the end of 2021. The Director for Land Transport, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport had already been appointed in this capacity.

7. DECISION n° 249  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways extending the derogation from the application of Annex to the Decision n° 141 on the implementation of Telework, as a measure pertaining to the Corona virus

   In anticipation of the re-entry of staff members to the Agency building in Valenciennes, the Agency has been preparing a plan to be put in place as soon as the lockdown is lifted, guaranteeing the safety and well-being of its staff.This Decision extends MB Decision n° 224 until the end of 2021.

8. Amended DECISION n° 162  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of the members of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways

   Decision n° 162 describes rules in relation to Declarations of Interest for MB members. Article 9 has been updated to reflect the current reality on the composition of the Conflicts of Interest Review Panel.

9. DECISION n° 250  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the roadmap of the Data and Digitalization Phase 2 – linked data mainstreaming

   This Decision foresees that linked data becomes the default setting for any future development of the databases, registers and specifications for data exchange mandated by the EU legal framework, under its remit. Broader application of this concept beyond the realm of ERA is certainly to be expected.  Phase 1 of the Data and Digitalization had been approved in November 2019.

10. DECISION n° 251  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing a member of the Executive Board

    In its meetings of 25 November 2020, the Board appointed Mr Samuel Bonnier (France) as  member for the Executive Board.

Agreed to meet on 18 March 2021 by videoconference

Decisions

• DECISION n°243 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document 2021
• DECISION n°244 amending DECISION n°161 of the Agency for Railways adopting the policy on monitoring the performance and decision-making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs) adopted on 29 November 2019
• DECISION n°245 amending MB Decision n°189 and n°213 on the practical modalities relating to recovery of costs incurred by the Agency for its assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders on training and other appropriate activities
• DECISION n°246 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2021
• DECISION n°247 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the statement of estimates 2022 and endorsing the Single Programming Document 2022
• DECISION n°248 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing a reporting officer for the appraisal of the Executive Director
• DECISION n°249 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways extending the derogation from the application of Annex to the Decision n°141 on the implementation of Telework, as a measure pertaining to the Corona virus
• Amended DECISION n°162 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of the members of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways
• DECISION n°250 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the roadmap of the Data and Digitalization Phase 2 – linked data mainstreaming
• DECISION n°251 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing a member of the Executive Board

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

The Management Board (MB) adopted:

1. The minutes of the 52nd Management Board meeting of 25 January 2020
2. DECISION n° 229  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an Opinion on the Annual Accounts 2019

   The budget of ERA for the year 2019 was established in compliance with the principles of unity, budget accuracy, annuality, equilibrium, unit of account, universality, specification, sound financial management and transparency as set out in the ERA Financial Regulation.

   The annual accounts 2019 of the Agency have been prepared in accordance with the Title IX of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Union and in accordance with the accounting rules, and the accounting principles and methods.

   The Management Board gave a positive opinion considering that the ERA accounts, taken as a whole, and drawn up under the responsibility of the Agency’s Executive Director, reflect the implementation of the Agency’s 2019 budget and the activities undertaken by it during this year.

3. DECISION n° 230 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the consolidated annual activity report 2019

   According to article 51 § 1 point (a) of the new Agency Regulation, an annual report for the previous year should be adopted by the Management Board and sent to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors by 1 July each year and made publicly available.

   The main elements in the Consolidated Annual Activity Report for the year 2019 concern the provision of information on:

   • An overall reporting of the Agency’s main activities, outputs and achievements in 2018
   • Risk Management status
   • Internal Control Standards Assessment
   • Results of Audits of the European Court of Auditors and the Internal Audit Service
   • Follow up of reservations and action plans for audits from previous years
4. DECISION n° 231 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the revision of the Management Board’s Rules of Procedure

   The Management Board updated its Rules of Procedure which were originally established in 2014 and amended in 2016.

5. DECISION n° 232 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the working methods for Waiving Immunity

   The Management Board adopted the working methods regarding the context and actions envisaged to be taken by the MB when a request for waiving the immunity of its staff is submitted to the Agency.

6. DECISION n° 233 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Single Programming Document 2020 (amendment n° 1)

   The Management Board amended the SPD 2020 in light of the impact of COVID-19 on the activities and the resources as well as the procurement plan.

7. DECISION n° 234 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending MB Decision n°194 establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals

   MB Decision n°194 (as amended by MB Decision n°219) currently establishes procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals.   The Management Board updated the decision to include:

   • Possibility to delegate Executive Director’s decisions requesting an applicant to submit an application for authorisation in case of a wrong categorisation or insufficiently substantiated information in accordance with Article 16(4) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/545 of 4 April 2018 establishing practical arrangements for the railway vehicle authorisation and railway vehicle type authorisation process pursuant to Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council (hereinafter referred to as “Regulation (EU) 2018/545”);
   • Possibility to delegate Executive Director’s opinions with regard to pre-engagement baselines to be issued in accordance with Article 24(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/545.

Agreed to meet on 25 November 2020 – the venue to be confirmed in light of COVID-19

Decisions

• DECISION n°229 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an Opinion on the Annual Accounts 2019
• DECISION n°230 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Consolidated Annual Activity Report 2019
• DECISION n°231 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways establishing the Rules of Procedure of the Management Board [repealing MB Decision n°134]
• DECISION n°232 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting Working methods on the decision-making process of the Management Board relating to waiving of immunity requests at the Agency
• DECISION n°233 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Single Programing Document 2020 (amendment n°1)
• DECISION n°234 amending MB Decision n°194 establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

The Management Board (MB) adopted:

1. The minutes of the 51st Management Board meeting of 27 November 2019




2. DECISION n° 222  of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Statement of estimates 2021 and endorsing the Single Programming Document 2021
   
   This Decision provides a forecast of the expenditure and revenue for 2021. There is, however, not yet enough information in order to estimate the volume and complexity of the projects for vehicle authorisation, safety certification, which will continue to increase in 2021-2022.  The Agency will be able to provide more accurate estimates for 2021 and amend the SPD draft accordingly before its adoption by the Management Board in November, based on the progress of work in the second half of 2020.




3. DECISION n° 223 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the annual communications plan 2020
   
   This Decision refers to the annual Communication plan of the Agency which needs to be adopted by the Board. It provides an overview of (1) the major milestones for 2020, (2) the Communication events of the year, (3) Newsletter editions, and (4) Other publications.




4. DECISION n° 224 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways repealing Decision 151 of 31 January 2017 and Decision 197 of 8 April 2019 of the Management Board appointing two reporting officers for the appraisal exercise of the Executive Director
   
   This Decision appoints the Director for Land Transport, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, representative of the European Commission in the Management Board and Yrjö Mäkelä, Director, Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, as reporting officers for the annual appraisal exercises of the Agency’s Executive Director until the end of 2021.




5. DECISION n° 225 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing a member and two alternates of the Executive Board
   
   In its meetings of 4 June 2019 and 23 January 2020, the Board appointed one member and two alternates for the Executive Board.




6. Agreed to meet in Lille on 17 June 2020

Decisions

• DECISION n°222 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Statement of estimates 2021 and endorsing the Single Programming Document 2021
• DECISION n°223 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the annual communications plan 2020
• [Repealed by n° 248] DECISION n°224 of the Agency for Railways repealing Decision 151 of 31 January 2017 and Decision 197 of 8 April 2019 of the Management Board appointing two reporting officers for the appraisal exercise of the Executive Director
• DECISION n°225 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing a member and two alternates of the Executive Board

Meeting place

Valenciennes, France

Summary of decisions

The Management Board (MB) adopted:

• The minutes of the 50th Management Board meeting of 25 September 2019




• DECISION n°211 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways extending the term of office of the Executive Director
  
  Based on the proposal from the European Commission taking into account the assessment of the performance of the Executive Director during the last 5 years, the Management Board extended the terms of office of Mr Josef Doppelbauer for five years, from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2024.




• DECISION n°212 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an amendment n°2 of AB Decision n° 22/2008 adopting Rules on the reimbursement of expenses incurred by people from outside the ERA invited to attend meetings in an expert capacity and repealing AB Decision 4 dated 9 March 2006
  
  This Decision amends AB Decision n°22/2008 and covers the scope and rules for reimbursing experts participating to the Agency’s meetings. As in 2019, the amendment was needed to ensure a balanced budget for SPD 2020.




• DECISION n°213 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railwaysamending MB Decision n°189 on the practical modalities relating to recovery of costs incurred by the Agency for its assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders on training and other appropriate activities
  
  This Decision provides the Agency with the possibility to recover costs when engaging at the request of the Commission, Member States, candidate countries or the networks, in training and other appropriate activities concerning the application and explanation of railway safety and interoperability legislation and related products of the Agency such as registers, implementation guides and recommendations (Art. 43 of the Agency Regulation). The amendment extends the adoption until 16 June 2021.




• DECISION n°214 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railwaysamending DECISION n°161 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the policy on monitoring the performance and decision-making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs) adopted on 29 November 2017
  
  This Decision amends MB Decision n°161/2017 and defines a targeted scope for the NSA monitoring. As in 2019, the amendment was needed to ensure a balanced budget for SPD 2020.




• DECISION n°215 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document 2020 This Decision refers to the adoption of the Single Programming Document 2020.
  
  The document takes the opinion of the European Commission into account, according to article 25.2 (c) of the Agency Regulation, as well as the outcomes of the consultation process in the course of 2019.




• DECISION n°216 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting transfers of appropriations in the budget 2019
  
  The Management Board adopted the transfers validated by the Executive Director as presented during the 50th Management meeting. The Management Board also agreed on the excess of the 10 % limit set for transfers from Title 3, bearing in mind that these transfers would not impact the Agency’s core activities.




• DECISION n°217 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the budget 2019
  
  The Management Board amended the budget for 2019 in light of the transfers made beyond the 10 % for Title 2 and Title 3, and the additional subsidy of €530k received from the European Commission.




• DECISION n°218 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2020
  
  This Decision refers to the adoption of the budget 2019 and the establishment plan 2019, based on communication COM(2013)519 of 10/07/2013 on the programming of human and financial resources for decentralised agencies 2014-2020.




• DECISION n219 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending MB Decision n°194 establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals
  
  In order for the Executive Director to take decisions on Vehicle Authorisation, Single Safety Certificates, and ERTMS trackside deployment approvals in accordance with Articles 14, 20, 21 and 22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/796, and considering that the timeframe for the decisions would be quite tight and that the decisions will need to be taken quickly as well as recognising that in case of absences of the decision-maker, the delivery of approvals system should be able to function, the Board adopted rules on which such decisions should be taken in terms of business continuity, availability of expertise, and controls at the appropriate levels. In line with the establishment of the conformity to type task force and in order to ensure business continuity, the Decision was extended to the end of 2021.




• Agreed to meet in Lille on 23 January 2020

Decisions

• DECISION n°211 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways extending the term of office of the Executive Director
• DECISION n°212 of the MB of the Agency adopting an amendment n°2 of AB Decision n°22/2008 adopting Rules on the reimbursement of expenses incurred by people from outside the ERA invited to attend meetings in an expert capacity and repealing AB Decision 4
• DECISION n°213 of the MB amending Decision n°189 on the practical modalities relating to recovery of costs incurred by the Agency for its assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders training and other appropriate activities
• [Amended by n° 244] DECISION n°214 amending DECISION n°161 of the MB of the Agency adopting the policy on monitoring the performance and decision-making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs) adopted on 29 November 2017
• DECISION n°215 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document 2020
• DECISION n°216 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting transfers of appropriations in the budget 2019
• DECISION n°217 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the budget 2019
• DECISION n°218 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2020
• [Repealed by n°234] DECISION n°219 amending Decision n°194 establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• The minutes of the 49th Management Board meeting of 4 June 2019
• DECISION n°207 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Single Programming Document 2019 (amendment n°2)
  The Agency was, at the end of 2018, mandated with the task of preparing the CSM on the assessment of Safety levels and Safety performance of railway operators at national and Union level, originally to be executed in 2020. However, after the train accident in Denmark, the EC requested an acceleration of this mandate. Consequently, the MB agreed that SPD 2019, adopted in November 2018 (Decision no. 186/2018), is amended to reflect this new task in Activity 1 (Objective 1.3), Activity 2 (Objective 2.1) and Activity 4 (Objective 4.4).
• DECISION n°208 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on delegating the power for requesting agreement from the authorities in DG HR to derogate / opt-out from Commission Decisions to the Executive Director
  On 02.09.2019 the authorities in DG HR informed the Agency that the Management Board has to officially request the agreement from the relevant authorities in DG HR to
  • derogate (i.e. introduce amendments from the original decision before formal adoption by the MB), and
  • opt-out (i.e. non-application of the decision)

  from the application by analogy of Commission Decisions. Each time the Commission adopts Decisions from which the Agency needs to derogate/opt-out, the Agency’s Management Board shall delegate the power to request agreement from the authorities in DG HR to the Executive Director.

• DECISION n° 209 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending MB Decision n°194 establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals
  In order for the Executive Director to take decisions on VA, SSC, and ERTMS trackside deployment approvals in accordance with Articles 14, 20, 21 and 22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/796, and considering that the timeframe for the decisions would be tight and need to be taken quickly as well as recognizing that in case of absences of the decision maker, the delivery of approvals system should be able to function, the Management Board adopted adopted Decision n°194 in its meeting of 24 January 2019, putting in place a system of delegations of powers to ensure that the decisions are taken at the proper level, guaranteeing business continuity in his absence, and in line with the requirements of the applicable legislation. This Decision needed amendment in light of the Agency’s re-organisation.
• Agreed to meet on 27 November 2019 in Valenciennes.

Decisions

• DECISION n°207 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Single Programing Document 2019 (amendment n°2)
• DECISION n°208 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on delegating the power for requesting agreement from the authorities in DG HR to derogate / opt-out from Commission Decisions to the Executive Director
• DECISION n°209 of the MB of the Agency on amending MB Decision n°194 establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• DECISION n°200 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on intention to extend the Executive Director's term of office and informing the European Parliament of this extension
  Following MB decision of 30 September 2014, the Agency’s Executive Director’s term finishes on 31 December 2019. Article 68(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/796 envisages that the Management Board may extend this term of office for no more than 5 years. In addition, Article 68(5) stipulates that “The Management Board shall inform the European Parliament of its intention to extend the Executive Director's term of office. Within 1 month before any such extension, the Executive Director may be invited to make a statement before the competent committee of the European Parliament and to answer questions put by its members.”
• DECISION n°201 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on the continuation of the mandate for the 4th Railway Package Readiness Assurance
  The Terms of Reference for the Fourth Railway Package Readiness Assurance were adopted by the Management Board in its meeting of 26/09/2017; the scope was enlarged on 27/02/2018. The original deadline of the mandate of the Steering Group was set for June 2019. As the majority of Member States will transpose in 2020 and the real problems will only surface when the Agency will be operational, it is felt important to keep this Steering Group in place until at least the end of 2020.
• Agreed to meet on 25 September 2019 in Lille

Decisions

• DECISION n°200 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on intention to extend the Executive Director's term of office and informing the European Parliament of this extension
• DECISION n°201 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on the continuation of the mandate for the 4th Railway Package Readiness Assurance

Meeting place

Valenciennes, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• The minutes of the 47th Management Board meeting of 28 November 2018
• DECISION n°192 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the statement of estimates 2020 and endorsing SPD 2020
  In its communication COM(2013)519 of 10/07/2013 on the programming of human and financial resources for decentralised agencies 2014-2020, the Commission foresaw for the ERA 2020 budget an EU contribution of 26,75 Mio€ with 148 TA and 36 CA.  This Decision provides a forecast of the expenditure and revenue for 2020. There is, however, not yet enough information in order to estimate the volume and complexity of the projects for vehicle authorisation, safety certification, which will arise in 2019-2020.  The Agency will be able to provide more accurate estimates for 2020 and amend the SPD draft accordingly before its adoption by the Management Board in November, based on the progress of work in the second half of 2019.
• DECISION n°193 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the ERA Communication Plan for 2019.
  This Decision refers to the annual Communication plan of the Agency which needs to be adopted by the Board. It provides an overview of (1) the major milestones for 2019, (2) the Communication events of the year, (3) Newsletter editions, and (4) Other publications.
• DECISION n°194 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS track-side approvals
  In order for the Executive Director to take decisions on Vehicle Authorisation, Single Safety Certificates, and ERTMS trackside deployment approvals in accordance with Articles 14, 20, 21 and 22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/796, and considering that the timeframe for the decisions would be quite tight and that the decisions will need to be taken quickly as well as recognising that in case of absences of the decision-maker, the delivery of approvals system should be able to function, the Board adopted rules on which such decisions should be taken in terms of business continuity, availability of expertise, and controls at the appropriate levels.
• Agreed to meet on 4 June 2019 in Lille

Decisions

• [Annex 2 amended by MB Dec n°236] DECISION n°192 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the statement of estimates 2020 and endorsing SPD 2020
• DECISION n°193 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the ERA Communication Plan for 2019
• [Repealed by MB Dec n°234] DECISION n°194 of the MB of the Agency for Railways establishing procedures for decision-making by the Executive Director in relation to authorisations for placing vehicles on the market, single safety certificates, and ERTMS

Meeting place

Valenciennes, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• The minutes of the 46th Management Board meeting of 24 June 2018
• Re-election of Hinne Groot as MB Deputy-Chair
• DECISION n° 184 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on establishing the criteria for nominating Board of Appeal members and appointing representatives for assessing the list of qualified candidates. 
  Prior to establishing the Board(s) of Appeal, the MB decided to firstly set the criteria on how potential candidates will be assessed.  The MB also decided on a list of names of MB members who would assess all the candidates and propose the most suitable ones to the MB for adoption.
• DECISION n° 185 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting rules on reimbursement of travel accommodation expenses and subsistence allowance for members of the Board of Appeals and other persons and on fees for experts envisaged under the Board(s) of Appeal Rules of Procedure.  
  This Decision refers to the rules on the reimbursement of expenses for members of the Board of Appeals and other persons envisaged under the Board(s) of Appeal Rules of Procedure. The rules define the details and amounts of travel, accommodation and daily allowances reimbursements for the BoA members as well as those of other experts including their fees.
• DECISION n° 186 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document 2019.  This Decision refers to the adoption of the Single Programming Document 2019.
  The document takes the opinion of the European Commission into account, according to article 25.2 (c) of the Agency Regulation, as well as the outcomes of the consultation process in the course of 2018.
• DECISION n° 187 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending AB Decision n° 22/2008 adopting Rules on the reimbursement of expenses incurred by people from outside the ERA invited to attend meetings in an expert capacity and repealing AB Decision 4 dated 9 March 2006.
  This Decision amends AB Decision n°22/2008 and covers the scope and rules for reimbursing experts participating to the Agency’s meetings. The amendment was needed to ensure a balanced budget for SPD 2019.
• DECISION n° 188 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending Decision n° 161 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the policy on monitoring the performance and decision‐making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs) adopted on 29 November 2017.
  This Decision amends MB Decision n°161/2017 and defines a targeted scope for the NSA monitoring. The amendment was needed to ensure a balanced budget for SPD 2019.
• DECISION n° 189 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on the practical modalities relating to recovery of costs incurred by the Agency for its assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders on training and other appropriate activities. 
  This Decision provides the Agency with the possibility to recover costs when engaging at the request of the Commission, Member States, candidate countries or the networks, in training and other appropriate activities concerning the application and explanation of railway safety and interoperability legislation and related products of the Agency such as registers, implementation guides and recommendations (Art. 43 of the Agency Regulation).
• DECISION n° 190 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2019.
  This Decision refers to the adoption of the budget 2019 and the establishment plan 2019, based on communication COM(2013)519 of 10/07/2013 on the programming of human and financial resources for decentralised agencies 2014-2020.  
• Agreed to meet on 24 January 2019 in Lille.

Decisions

• DECISION n°184 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on establishing the criteria for nominating Board of Appeal members and appointing representatives for assessing the list of qualified candidates
• DECISION n°185 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting rules on reimbursement of travel accommodation expenses and subsistence allowance for members of the Board of Appeals and other persons and on fees for experts envi
• [Amended by MB Dec n°198 and n°207] DECISION n°186 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document 2019
• [Amended by MB Dec n° 212] DECISION n°187 of the MB of the Agency for Railways amending AB Decision n° 22/2008 adopting Rules on the reimbursement of expenses incurred by people from outside the ERA invited to attend meetings in an expert capacity
• [Amended by MB Dec n° 213] DECISION n°189 on the practical modalities relating to recovery of costs incurred by the Agency for its assistance to Member States, candidate countries and stakeholders on training and other appropriate activities
• [Annex 2 amended by MB Dec n°236] DECISION n°190 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2019
• [Amended by MB Dec n°214] DECISION n°188 of the amending Decision n°161 of the MB of the Agency on the adoption of the policy on monitoring the performance and decision‐making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs) adopted on 29 November 2017

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• adopted the minutes of the 45th meeting held on January 25th 2018
• adopted guidelines and the list of the main elements to be included in the cooperation agreements to be concluded between the Agency and the national safety authorities
• adopted an Opinion on the Annual Accounts 2017
• amended the Communication Plan 2018
• adopted the Consolidated Annual Activity Report 2017 together with its Analysis and Assessment agreed by the Management Board
• amended the Technical and Functional specifications for the One-Stop Shop
• adopted amendment n°2 Single Programming Document 2018- Annex Procurement Plan
• agreed to meet on 27 September 2018​

Decisions

• DECISION n°174 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting guidelines and the list of the main elements to be included in the cooperation agreements to be concluded between the Agency and the national safety authorities
• DECISION n°175 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an Opinion on the Annual Accounts
• DECISION n°176 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the ERA Communication Plan for 2018
• DECISION n°177 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Consolidated Annual Activity Report 2017
• DECISION n°178 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the technical and functional specifications for the establishment of the One-Stop Shop (OSS)
• DECISION n°179 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Single Programming Document 2018

Meeting place

Lille , France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• adopted the minutes of the 44th meeting held on November the 29th 2017,
• adopted an amendment to SPD 2018,
• adopted the statement of estimates 2019,
• endorsed the draft SPD 2019,
• adopted a procedure for cooperation by the Agency and its staff in national judicial proceedings,
• agreed that where part of the fees and charges payable by applicants to the Agency relates to the work performed for the NSAs to assess conformity with national rules, the Agency shall reimburse the relevant NSAs in full based on the calculation model for the NSA scope as defined in the Implementing Act on fees and charges,
• agreed that external experts supporting the Agency in its tasks will be reimbursed at their individual hourly rate and that in case of a significant under-absorption of the costs paid to these external experts, support should be provided by the Commission to the Agency,
• adopted a procedure for handling complaints lodged pursuant to Article 90 of the Staff Regulations,
• adopted rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of participants in working parties and groups referred to in Article 5 § 2 of Regulation (EU) 2016/796, of the Agency staff and other staff not covered by the Staff Regulations / Framework for Good Administrative Behaviour of the European Union Agency for Railways,
• adopted the Communication Plan 2018,
• agreed to meet on 26 June 2018.

Decisions

• DECISION n°165 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways establishing a procedure for cooperation by the Agency and its staff with Member States judicial authorities in the context of judicial proceedings
• [Amended by MB Dec n°179] DECISION n°166 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Single Programming Document 2018
• [Amended by MB Dec n°176] DECISION n°167 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Communication Plan 2018
• DECISION n°168 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on the Statement of estimates 2019 and the draft Single Programming Document 2019
• DECISION n°169 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Framework for Good Administrative Behaviour of the European Union Agency for Railways

Meeting place

Valenciennes, France

Summary of decisions

THE ERA ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD:

• adopted the minutes of the 37th meeting held on 25 November 2015
• adopted the ERA Statements of Estimates 2017
• adopted an amendment to the ERA budget 2016
• adopted an amendment to the ERA Single Programming Document 2016
• adopted the Annual Activity Report 2015
• adopted the assessment of the Annual Activity Report 2015
• adopted by analogy‐ Commission Decision C(2015)970 on Article 55a of the Staff Regulations and Annex IVa thereto concerning part‐time work ;
• adopted a decision on working time for ERA staff
• adopted general implementing provisions regarding Article 54 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (reclassification TAs)
• adopted general implementing provisions regarding Article 87(3) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (reclassification CAs)
• empowered the Executive Director to submit a draft delegation of the powers conferred by the Staff Regulations on the appointing authority and by the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union on the authority empowered to conclude contracts of employment to the Executive Director of European Union Agency for Railways
• agreed to meet on 23 June 2016

Minutes

38th_mb_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (539.62 KB)

Decisions

• DECISION n°125 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting the statement of estimates 2017
• [Amended by AB Dec n°139] DECISION n°126 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency amending the budget 2016
• [Amended by AB Dec n°138] DECISION n°127 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting amendment n°1 of the Work Programme 2016
• DECISION n°128 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting the Annual activity Report 2015
• DECISION n°129 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting the assessment of the Annual Activity Report 2015
• DECISION n°130 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency on Working Time
• DECISION n°131 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency on Article 55a of the Staff Regulations and Annex IVa thereto concerning part-time work
• DECISION n°132 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency on general implementing provisions regarding Article 87(3) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union
• DECISION n°133 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency laying down general implementing provisions regarding Article 54 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union

Meeting place

Valenciennes, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD:

• adopted the minutes of the 38th meeting held on 31 March 2016
• adopted its Rules of Procedure
• adopted the Executive Board Rules of Procedure
• appointed the members of the Executive Board for a term of office of four years
• adopted an opinion on the Annual Accounts 2015
• adopted an Amendment n°2 to the Programming Document 2016
• adopted an Amendment n°2 to the Budget 2016
• agreed to meet on 29 November 2016

Minutes

39th_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (441.66 KB)

Decisions

• [Repealed by MB Dec n°231] DECISION n°134 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways establishing the Rules of Procedure of the Management Board
• [Amended by MB Dec n°157] DECISION n°135 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways establishing the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board
• [Repealed by n° 251] DECISION n°136 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing the members of the Executive Board
• DECISION n°137 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an Opinion on the Annual Accounts 2015
• DECISION n°138 of the Management Board of the European Railway Agency adopting amendment n°02 of the Programing Document 2016
• DECISION n°139 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting amendment n°2 budget 2016

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD

• adopted the minutes of the 39th meeting held on June 23rd 2016
• appointed a member to the Executive Board,
• adopted the Single Programming Document (SPD) 2017
• adopted the budget and establishment Plan 2017
• adopted an amendment to the “Arrangements to be applied by the Agency for Public Access to Documents”
• adopted the procedures for the adoption of Single Programming Document (SPD) and Annual Activity Report (AAR)
• agreed to adopt an amendment to the “Policy for Visits to Member States” by written procedure
• agreed to meet on 31 January 2017

The linguistic arrangements for the Agency were not adopted due to lack of unanimity among the Board members.

Minutes

40th_mb_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (577.44 KB)

Decisions

• DECISION n°143 of the Management Board of the European Railway Agency adopting the Single Programming Document 2017
• DECISION n°144 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2017
• DECISION n°145 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the “Arrangements to be applied by the Agency for Public Access to Documents”
• DECISION n°146 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document procedure and the Annual Activity Reporting procedure

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD:

• adopted the minutes of the 40th meeting held on November 29 2016,
• agreed to explore further options on the Agency's internal linguistic arrangements
• appointed an alternate member to the Executive Board,
• adopted the Statement of Estimates 2018,
• endorsed the draft SPD 2018,
• adopted an Impact Assessment Methodology for the Agency,
• adopted the Communication Plan 2017,
• was consulted on the draft Rules of Procedure of the Board of Appeal and agreed on the principle to establish the Board of Appeal as a permanent body,
• agreed to modify the name of the Commission representative as reporting officer for the appraisal of the Executive Director,
• agreed to hold a workshop for MB members on NSAs and NoBos monitoring policies on 9 March 2017 in Lille
• agreed to meet on 27 June 2017.

Minutes

41st_mb_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (472.07 KB)

Decisions

• DECISION n°148 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways on the Statement of Estimates 2018
• [Amended by MB Dec n°195] DECISION n°149 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an Impact Assessment Methodology
• DECISION n°150 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Communication Plan for 2017
• [Repealed by MB Dec n°191] DECISION n°151 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways appointing two reporting officers for the appraisal exercise of the Executive Director dated 31 January 2017

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD:

• adopted the minutes of the 41st meeting held on January 31st 2017,
• elected as Chairperson of the Management Board, Ms Clio LIEGEOIS, representative of Belgium
• agreed on the “Role of the Executive Board” paper,
• adopted an Opinion on the Annual Accounts 2016,
• adopted the Annual Activity Report 2016 together with its Analysis and Assessment issued by the Management Board,
• adopted the provisions on auditing notified conformity assessment bodies in the framework of Article 34(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/796
• agreed to meet on 26 September 2017

The linguistic arrangements for the establishment of an internal language regime at the Agency were not adopted due to lack of unanimity among the Board members.

Minutes

42nd_mb_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (537.09 KB)

Decisions

• DECISION n°154 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting an Opinion on the Annual Accounts 2016
• DECISION n°155 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Annual Activity Report 2016
• DECISION n°156 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the provisions on auditing notified conformity assessment bodies in the framework of Article 34 § 3 of Regulation (EU) 2016/796
• ERA Management Board Paper on the Role of the Executive Board

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD:

• adopted the minutes of the 42nd meeting held on June 27th 2017,
• appointed Mr Yrjö MÄKELÄ as member and Ms Paloma FORCAT IRIBAS as alternate of the Executive Board and confirmed Mr Hinne J.Y. Groot as member of the Executive Board with a four-year mandate,
• amended the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board,
• agreed on the Strategic Calendar of the Executive Board for the years 2017-2018,
• adopted Rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of the members of the Board(s) of Appeal of the European Union Agency for Railways,
• adopted the technical and functional specifications for the establishment of the One-Stop Shop (OSS),
• agreed on the 4th Railway Package Readiness Assurance Terms of Reference,
• agreed to meet on 29 November 2017,followed by worshop on SPD 2019 on 30 November 2017

Minutes

43rd_mb_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (493.29 KB)

Decisions

• ​DECISION n°157 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways amending the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board
• DECISION n°158 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting Rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of the members of the Board(s) of Appeal of the European Union Agency for Railways
• [Amended by MB Dec n°178] DECISION n°159 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the technical and functional specifications for the establishment of the One-Stop Shop (OSS)
• ERA Executive Board Strategic Rolling Calendar 2017-2018
• 4th Railway Package Readiness Assurance Terms of Reference (ToRs)

Meeting place

Valenciennes, France

Summary of decisions

THE EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT BOARD:

• adopted the minutes of the 43rd meeting held on September 26th 2017
• appointed an alternate to the Executive Board
• appointed EB rapporteurs for two topics listed under the EB Strategic Rolling Calendar 2017-2018
• appointed a member to the 4th RP Steering Group (4th RP SG)
• adopted a policy on monitoring the performance and decision-making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs)
• adopted rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of its members
• adopted the Single Programming Document (SPD) 2018
• adopted the budget and establishment plan 2018
• agreed to meet on 25 January 2017

Minutes

44th_mb_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (521.66 KB)

Decisions

• [Amended by MB Dec n°188] DECISION n°161 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the policy on monitoring the performance and decision-making of National Safety Authorities (NSAs)
• DECISION n°162 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting rules for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest in respect of the members of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways
• [Amended by MB Dec n°166] DECISION n°163 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the Single Programming Document (SPD) 2018
• DECISION n°164 of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways adopting the budget and establishment plan 2018

Meeting place

Lille, France

Summary of decisions

THE ERA ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD

• adopted the minutes of the 36th meeting held on 16 June 2015
• elected Mr Hinne Groot representing the Netherlands, Deputy-Chair of the Administrative Board
• apointed Mr Wolfram Neuhfer representing Germany, member of the Administrative Board Sub-Committee for financial, budgetary and staff issues
• adopted the ERA Work Programme/Single Programming Document 2016
• adopted the ERA budget and establishment plan 2016
• adopted the following Implementing Rules to the Staff Regulations:
  • general provisions for implementing Article 87(1) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union and implementing the first paragraph of Article 44 of the Staff Regulations
  • adopting measures concerning unpaid leave for temporary and contract staff
  • laying down the general implementing provisions on the procedure governing the engagement and use of temporary staff under Article 2(f) of the CEOS
  • general provisions for implementing Article 43 of the Staff Regulations and implementing the first paragraph of Article 44 of the Staff Regulations for temporary staff
• endorsed the ERA Communication Strategy
• agreed to meet on 31 March 2016

 

Minutes

37th_ab_meeting_minutes_en.pdf (443.56 KB)

Decisions

• DECISION n°121 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency laying down the general implementing provisions on the procedure governing the engagement and use of temporary staff under Article 2(f) of the CEOS
• [Amended by AB Dec n°127] DECISION n°119 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting the Programming Document 2016
• DECISION n°122 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency on the general provisions for implementing Article 43 of the Staff Regulations and implementing the first paragraph of Article 44 of the Staff Regulations for temporary staff
• DECISION n°123 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency on the general provisions for implementing Article 87(1) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union and implementing the first paragraph of Article 44
• DECISION n°124 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting measures concerning unpaid leave for temporary and contract staff
• [Amended by AB Dec n°126] DECISION n°120 of the Administrative Board of the European Railway Agency adopting the budget and establishment plan 2016