Thanks to negotiations at the EU level additional time has been provided which allows for the conclusion of the transposition process of the regulations introducing the 4th Railway Package during the COVID-19 epidemic. The date of 31 October 2020 has been chosen - aside from Poland - by Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Estonia, Spain, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary and Great Britain. Five countries have decided not to prolong the date. Ten countries had decided to implement the technical pillar of the 4th Railway Package already last year - on 16 June 2019.
The change of the ultimate transposition date to 31 October 2020 means in practice that until this date it is possible for national safety authorities to issue authorisations for use of railway vehicles based on current regulations. This date also covers such matters as for example fitting of railway vehicles with GSM-R equipment. With regard to the new date of introduction of the 4th Railway Package such modification carried out before 31 October 2020 (and certified by CE verification declaration for CCS onboard subsystem) does not require renewed authorisation for use.
The date change also applies to the regulations governing the safety certificates. One should however bear in mind that in such cases the application verification process may last up to 3 months.
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