It is the responsibility of the national authorities to investigate the circumstances under which it took place tragic accident in Tempeemphasizes European Commission.

Asked about this, the representative of the Commission responsible for transport matters, Adalber Jans, replied: “We will not be able to say under what circumstances the accident could have been prevented. This is the task of the investigations that must be carried out now and this is the responsibility of the national authorities. The European Railway Agency is available on request to support national authorities if requested. However, the primary responsibility lies with the national authorities.”

Regarding the infringement procedure against Greece initiated by the Commission in December 2020 and the Commission’s decision, on February 15, 2023, to refer Greece to the European Court of Justice, the same press representative explained that this decision is related to the non-conclusion contractual agreement between the national railway regulatory authority and the railway infrastructure manager (RIM).

“The conclusion and publication of such an agreement is a requirement under European law. This agreement is very important for the transparency of the upcoming projects in the rail infrastructure network. It is important for transparency in the use of public funds and this is not something specifically related to railway safety,” clarified the Commission representative.

“We are not looking at project contracts, but at the transposition of European legislation into national law,” explained the representative of the Commission, Eric Mamer.

In particular, Adalber Jans explained that the infringement procedure against Greece concerns the non-compliance of the national authorities with the Directive on the single European railway area, which dates from 2012 and which contains specific obligations.

According to the Directive on the Single European Railway Area, all Member States had to ensure the conclusion of a contractual agreement between the national competent authority and the railway infrastructure manager by 16 June 2015 at the latest and its publication within one month.

Finally, the representative of the Commission noted that the EU supports the upgrading of railway infrastructure with Community funds. In particular, he said that since 2014 the EU has financed 16 transport projects in Greece, with around 700 million euros, 90% of which concern rail transport. In the context of the Resilience and Recovery Facility, three rail infrastructure upgrading projects are planned to be financed with 130 million euros.