EU Railway Policy-Making: On Track?(Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics)

The railways have a long tradition in Europe and the impact that they have on history is as much political as it is social or economic. National governments have traditionally had an active interest in the railways and indeed railways have become synonymous with ideas of state building and intervention. Similarly, on the supra-national level, the EU Commission sees the railways as central to the EU Transport Policy, the Single Market and Sustainable Development. It is perhaps strange then that the creation of an EU Railway Policy has been slow in the making. This book focuses on the role of the Commission in opening national railway markets and creating an EU governance structure for the railways. Indeed, the railway policy discussions and preferences are shaped by the fundamental question of whether the railways are a public service or an economic sector. The book argues that the Commission is constrained by the member states' resistance towards market opening as evident in the implementation process and demonstrates that the Commission's long term commitment has been able to advance its preferred governance system.

Table of Contents:
Table and figures Acknowledgements and preface Abbreviations and Acronyms 1. Introduction 2. Diverging National Railway Policies 3. The Early Days of EU integration 1956-1991 4. Towards Market Opening 1992-2007 5. Towards a Competitive Railway Sector 2007-2012 6. State Aid in an Open Market 7. Creating a Single European Infrastructure 8. shifting the Modal Balance to Environmental Friendly Rail 9. The Past, the Present and the Future of EU Railway Policy Bibliography

About the Author :
Helen Dyrhauge holds a PhD in EU Public Policy and Governance from School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Leeds, UK, and is assistant professor at Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University, Denmark.

Review :
'Both profound and clear. Embedded in an original theoretical framework, this book provides an excellent treatment of why EU Railway Policy, which represents a major factor in economic competitiveness and employment and by its very nature is fundamental to the achievement of freedom of movement across the EU, struggles to become a more effective sector.' - Michael Kaeding, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany This book examines the influence of Commission, Parliament, Member States and the rail industry on policy development over many years. Students of EU policy-making, integration theory and transport policy will all find valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the different actors, as well as the explanatory capacity of both rational choice and historical institutionalism. Handley Stevens, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK The author effectively combines historical and rational choice institutionalism to bring valuable theoretical insights to the analysis of the shape and direction of developments in EU railways policy, pointing to path dependence and incidences of critical juncture. Paul Stephenson, Department of Politics, University of Maastircht, The Netherlands