The European Commission has extended safety certification on the Channel Tunnel for three months from the end of March to allow rail transport to continue between the UK and France in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The Commission is continuing its “preparedness” planning for no-deal departure on March 30th, and at Tuesday’s meeting in Strasbourg adopted a proposal to help mitigate the significant impact that such a scenario would have on rail transport and connectivity between the EU and the UK.
The proposal will extend the validity of safety authorisations for certain parts of rail infrastructure for a strictly limited period of three months “to allow long-term solutions in line with EU law to be put in place”. This will be conditional on the UK maintaining safety standards identical to EU requirements.
“It is also essential that the concerned undertakings and national authorities continue to take all necessary measures to comply with EU rules on train driver licences, market access, as well as safety certificates and authorisations required to operate in the EU,” a Commission statement said.
