IRG-Rail has held its first 2020 Plenary Assembly meeting via videoconference. Representatives of 27 IRG-Rail Member States participated in the event.
This meeting followed the IRG-Rail Network Meeting that took place on 21 April, which was designed to prepare the Plenary Assembly meeting.
During the Network Meeting, each IRG-Rail working group reported on the progress made on the 2020 Working Programme. Further discussions about some of the working groups’ activities took place during the Plenary Assembly meeting. These were valuable opportunities for coordination between IRG-Rail Members and the Chairman, and for the review the work developed by the IRG-Rail working groups.
An important item on the agenda of both meetings was the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on the railway sector. At the initiative of the IRG-Rail Chairman Mr Serge Drugmand and of the Chairwoman Ms Maria-Theresia Röhsler, a statement on the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis was adopted on 19 May. This statement is available here.
IRG-Rail Members also discussed joining forces to assess the impact of the crisis on the railway sector and has entrusted its Market Monitoring working group with the task of consulting with all Members to determine whether such an assessment can be carried out successfully.
