ERA Webinar: Progress on Safety and Interoperability - Status and Way Forward

On 30 June 2026, from 12:00 to 13:30 (CEST), the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) will host a webinar presenting the key findings of its latest Report on Railway Safety and Interoperability in the EU and discussing the actions needed to address future challenges.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of progress towards a safer, more interoperable and more resilient Single European Railway Area. It highlights achievements in areas such as safety performance, ERTMS deployment, vehicle authorisations and telematics, while identifying the remaining barriers to seamless cross-border rail operations. It also explores emerging priorities, including climate resilience, cybersecurity and digitalisation.

The webinar will open with keynote messages from: 

• Oana Gherghinescu, Executive Director of ERA;
• Kristian Schmidt, Director for Land Transport at the European Commission’s DG MOVE;
• ERA expert Eva Valeri will then present the main findings of the 2026 biennial report;

The second part of the event will focus on the way forward through a series of technical discussions with railway stakeholders. Confirmed speakers include: 

• Pio Guido (ERA) and Roman Slovak (Swiss National Safety Authority) on safety trends and analysis;
• Giacomo Potenza (ERA) on TEN-T development and cross-border connections;
• Enno Wiebe (UNIFE) on vehicle authorisations;
• Mitchell van Balen (ERA) and Reinhard Haller (RNE) on railway business intelligence and data capabilities;
• Idriss Pagand (ERA) and Julie Berckmans (EEA) on climate resilience;

Additional speakers will be announced as soon as their participation is confirmed.

The webinar will conclude with a Q&A session and final remarks. Stakeholders from across the European rail sector are invited to participate and contribute to the discussion on the future of railway safety and interoperability in Europe.