Questionnaire – EU Elections 2024

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1) Will you support the development of night trains in Europe?

yesno

2) Actions to improve the economic model for night trains:

(multiple answers possible)
There is currently a shortage of rolling stock for night trains across Europe. The lack of rolling stock appears to be the main obstacle to relaunching the activity. I am going to promote EU co-financing for the construction of rolling stock for night trains.Night trains cover long distances and therefore pay high rail tolls, even though they are struggling to break even. Directive 2012/34 stipulates that tolls must not exclude market segments that can at least pay the cost they generate (marginal cost). I will promote the reduction of tolls to marginal cost for night trains throughout the EU, as some Member States have already done.At present, the EU funds new infrastructure for high-speed rail, but does not subsidise night trains. What's more, the EU is restricting the scope for Member States to subsidise their operations, for example by banning "Public Service Obligation" (PSO) subsidies for the part of the route outside their national territory. I will be campaigning for the EU to authorise Member States to fund the operation of night trains on all their routes.

3) Ticketing and passenger rights:

Booking an international train ticket is often complicated, especially if it includes a connection between two trains from different operators.

What actions will you promote for European rail passenger rights (multiple answers possible)?
I will work to simplify the booking of international tickets including different operators.I will work to put in place routing guarantees in the event of delays or missed connections, and by asking operators to cooperate in routing passengers on the first train of any operator with seats available.

4) Modal shift to night trains

Which major benefits do you think switching to night trains will bring (multiple answers possible)?
Enable young people and everyone to travel in Europe, with low-carbon mobilityBetter connect all regions with regional and long-distance trainsReduce transport noise in urban areasImprove air qualityReduce soil artificialisation and sealing by making use of the already existing rail networkReduce CO2 emissionsReduce energy consumption and move towards energy independence for EuropePromote the European rail industryI will ask for an assessment of the externalities of the different modes of transport, to inform the terms of the debate.I will promote a "polluter pays" type of taxation policy to restore the balance of competition between modes of transport, by penalising the negative externalities of air and road transport and valuing the positive externalities of rail transport.

5) Balancing competition with air travel

Night trains virtually disappeared in the 2010s, partly because of competition from low-cost aviation. For the moment, within the EU, the "polluter pays" principle does not apply to passenger transport. Kerosene tax and VAT on international air tickets are at 0%.

Will you act to balance out the competition, so that night trains can survive in the face of the tax breaks offered by air travel (multiple answers possible)?
I will take action to abolish the tax exemption on kerosene.I will take action to ensure that taxes on the energy consumed by trains are reduced to a level lower than or equal to that on aviation (currently 0%).I will act to abolish the VAT exemption on intra-European air tickets.Rail tickets are often too expensive. I will act to promote local and European tourism by reducing VAT on rail travel (national and European routes), if possible to below the level of VAT on intra-European air tickets (currently 0%).While the implementation of a tax on kerosene is pending, I will promote a tax on airline tickets, which will make it possible to finance sustainable transport that is affected by low-cost air travel, such as night trains.I will promote a floor price on plane tickets, to put an end to plane tickets for less than €50, which prevent the emergence of ground transport alternatives.I will promote high taxes on private jets.I will promote a ban on private jets.I will promote a specific tax on short-haul flights to encourage the emergence of land-based alternatives.I will take action to ban short-haul flights.

6) Improving infrastructure

What infrastructure funding priorities will you promote at European level (multiple answers possible)?
I will work to ensure that the EU co-finances the regeneration and modernisation of the existing rail network as a priority. This will make it possible to ambitiously roll out 5 rail services currently suffering from a lack of funding: metropolitan, regional, intercity day, night and freight trains.Night and freight trains need electrification to run long routes efficiently. I will take action to continue the electrification of railways by catenary, which offers the best energy efficiency on railways with sufficient traffic.I will take action to build new high-speed infrastructure, giving it priority over the regeneration of the existing rail network.I will give priority to funding the construction of roads and motorways.I will give priority to air transport.No opinion.

7) Liberalising or reunifying the railways:

The EU has liberalised the rail industry in order to introduce competition between operators. Some players criticise the fragmentation of activities, which makes it more complex to buy international train tickets, for example, and complicates the synergy between activities within the rail ecosystem. Other observers claim that competition allows prices to be lowered and service to be improved.

(multiple choices possible)
I will work to authorise Member States to reunify their rail sectors.I want operators to be obliged to cooperate to a certain extent for the benefit of users.I call for a pause in liberalisation to resolve the current dysfunctions.I will act to liberalise further in order to increase competition between operators.

8) Will you be using night trains when travelling in Europe?

Whenever they are available.FrequentlySometimesRarelyYes, if they offer a sufficient level of comfortNo

9) Comments and explanations:

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