15.3.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L75/1 | (Acts whose publication is obligatory) DIRECTIVE 2001/12/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 February 2001 amending Council Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of the Community's railways THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 71 thereof, Having regard to the proposal of the Commission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 (* of the Treaty in the light of the joint text approved on 22 November 2000 by the Conciliation Committee, Whereas: (1) Council Directive 91/440/EEC of 29 July 1991 on the development of the Community's railways (°) should be amended to take account of experience with its implementation and of developments in the railway sector since its adoption, in order to ensure that its objectives are achieved. (2)  Fair and non-discriminatory access to the infastructure needs to be guaranteed through the separation of certain essential functions andfor the creation of a rail regulator fulfilling the control and implementation functions as well as through the separation of profit and loss accounts and the balance sheets. () O] C 321, 20.10.1998, p. 6, and O] C 116 E, 26.4.2000, p. 21. () 0] C 209, 22.7.1999, p. 22. () O] C 57, 29.2.2000, p. 40. (% Opinion of the European Parliament of 10 March 1999 (O] C 175, 21.6.1999, p. 115), confirmed on 16 September 1999 (O] C 54, 25.2.2000, p. 56), Council Common Position of 28 March 2000 (O] C 288, 11.10.2000, p. 1) and Decision of the European Parliament of 5 July 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Decision of the European Parliament of 1 February 2001 and Council Decision of 20 December 2000. () O] L 237, 24.8.1991, p. 25. G) Fair and non-discriminatory access to the infrastructure needs to be guaranteed also through the separation of safety related functions andfor the creation of a rail regulator fulfilling the control and implementation functions. In any case railway undertakings may be involved in a non-discriminatory way in enforcement and monitoring of safety standards. Extension of access rights should, as with other modes of transport, proceed in conjunction with the parallel implementation of the necessary accompanying harmonisation measures. In accordance with the objective of completing the internal market, which will include the possibility for all licensed railway undertakings meeting the safety conditions to provide services, access rights should, for a transitional period of up to seven years, be extended to licensed railway undertakings for the international transport of goods on a defined network, called the Trans European Rail Freight Network, including access to, and supply of, services in major terminals and ports. After this transitional period, the Trans-European Rail Freight Network should cover the entire European rail network and the railway undertakings should be granted rights of access thereto for international freight transport. Access right is guaranteed to the licensed railway undertaking meeting the safety conditions and seeking access, whatever the mode of operation. Member States remain free to grant access rights that are more extensive than access for railway undertakings operating  international combined transport  to international groupings operating international services and to railway undertakings operating international freight services within the Trans-European Rail Freight Network. The use of these more extensive access rights may be limited to railway undertakings licensed in