The EU Parliament can enhance the ambition of the implementation of the EU Commission plan, but some additional risks in it need to be addressed
In November 2025 the European Commission presented its High-Speed Rail Plan, aiming to accelerate the development of high-speed rail across the European Union. The European Parliament then presented its own initiative report (INI report) to further strengthen the proposal by the Commission. This opens up an opportunity to enhance the ambition of the implementation of the plan, but some additional risks that are presented in the report need to be addressed.
Recommendations
T&E sets out the following recommendations to maximise the effectiveness of the plan, delivering for passengers and for the 2040 climate target:
1. End the VAT exemptions for aviation and passenger shipping and instead set an exemption for international passenger rail.
2. Include climate conditionalities to airport expansion plans and slot allocation rules on any air to rail modal shift target to avoid unintended emission increases resulting from the replacement of short haul flights with long haul flights. (....)