Implementation of EU legislation on rail liberalisation in Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands

Xavier Deville (xavier.deville@nbb.be) and Fabienne Verduyn (fabienne.verduyn@nbb.be)
Additional contact information
Xavier Deville: National Bank of Belgium, Microeconomic Information Department
Fabienne Verduyn: National Bank of Belgium, Microeconomic Information Department

No 221, Working Paper Document from National Bank of Belgium

Abstract: This study provides a detailed and easy-to read overview of the railway liberalisation in Belgium and the three neighbouring countries. The European Union's liberalisation Directives are often complex and are implemented in very specific ways in the different Member States. The analysis goes into some detail about the Commission's underlying motives and economic theories for letting network industries, which had previously been regarded as natural monopolies, convert into competitive enterprises with the separation of infrastructure from operations. The study takes a look at the impact of the European rail liberalisation Directives in Belgium and its neighbouring countries - France, Germany and the Netherlands. There are considerable variations in the way in which the Directives are applied. It is reflected in the way in which the separation of the infrastructure and the transport services within the railway companies was carried out, and in the degree of opening of the market in freight and passenger transport. The analysis shows that the dominance of the former monopolists in the different Member States means that private rail operators face major obstacles. The financial analysis of the railway companies reveals wide variations in economic performance. The combination of better balance sheet figures and a bigger domestic market means that some major players in Europe are financially better off, giving them superiority over the smaller railway companies. This raises the question whether these circumstances will ultimately lead to distortion of competition.

Keywords: rail; liberalisation; subsidies; debt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 D40 H20 L14 L92 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 160 pages
Date: 2012-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nbb:docwpp:201203-221

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