Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission

As national safety authority in terms of Directive 2004/49/EC, IGC is the bi-national body entrusted by the UK and France with the tasks regarding railway safety set out in the Directive in order to ensure a unified safety regime for the Channel Tunnel. The IGC has the task of providing a bi-national regulatory framework (including national rules where necessary) for safety and interoperability and for supervising the performance of both Eurotunnel and railway undertakings using the Channel Tunnel. It is supported in this continuing work by its statutory safety advisory body, the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority.

Following the first seminar held on 12 February 2014, the Intergovernmental Commission is inviting all interested stakeholders to a workshop in Lille on 26 June 2015. The workshop will take place at the premises of IFSTTAR (20, rue Élisée Reclus, -59666 Villeneuve d’Ascq) in Lille from 11h00 to 16h00 CET.

As regulatory body under Directive 2001/14/EC for the Channel Tunnel, the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) is responsible for oversight of the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and charges for its use. The IGC is also responsible for monitoring the development of competition in the Channel Tunnel rail services market. As part of this activity, the Intergovernmental Commission would like to understand your views on the impact of non-tariff barriers to the development of the Channel Tunnel market for rail services, by response to the questionnaire below. We are most interested in identifying market barriers whose impact can be demonstrated by specific examples or evidence.

The questionnaire also seeks to update the questions already asked by the IGC in its previous survey of Summer 2012. The IGC is also inviting all interested stakeholders to a workshop to further discuss their views. The workshop will take place at the premises of IFSTTAR (20 Rue Élisée Reclus, 59666 Villeneuve d’Ascq) near Lille on Thursday 9 October 2014 from 11h00 to 16h00 CET. The workshop will be conducted in English and French. Simultaneous translation will be provided. A full agenda will be provided to interested participants in due course. The event is free to attend, though IGC is unable to reimburse the travel and accommodation costs of participants. If you or your organisation would like to attend, please reply to the Secretariat (corinne.menage developpement-durable.gouv.fr and debbie.daniels orr.gsi.gov.uk or at the postal addresses in the letter) giving the name(s) of up to two participants by no later than 25 September 2014. Please also feel free to contact the Secretariat if you have any further questions about the workshop.

A copy of the reports of the previous workshops, together with a lists of participants and presentations given are below.