Statement June 24, 2025 ETF Supports French Rail Workers’ Call for Urgent Infrastructure Investment French railway workers took the streets because the stakes could not be higher. France needs an additional €2 billion in funding by 2027 just to maintain, regenerate, and modernise its existing rail network infrastructure – not to build new lines, but simply to preserve what already exists at current performance standards. This funding crisis extends beyond France’s borders, representing a fundamental challenge to Europe’s sustainable transport future.
Statement June 23, 2025 Railways: ETF Statement on Breakdown of Social Dialogue on Worktime monitoring ETF regrets and denounces the obstructive behaviour of railway employers in the ongoing discussions on time monitoring within the Sectoral Social Dialogue. Particularly the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies’ last-minute intervention to block the participation of the European Union Agency for Railways in the Sectoral Social Dialogue meeting on 23 June 2025, constitutes a serious breach of the mutual trust and respect required for meaningful social dialogue.
News June 23, 2025 Sweden’s Rail Liberalisation: A Failed Experiment and a Wake-Up Call for Europe On UN Public Service Day, ETF honours the vital role of public services in shaping fairer, greener societies. Few are as essential – or as misunderstood – as rail. It’s not just transport: it’s a public good, a climate solution, and a pillar of social justice. For years, the EU praised Sweden’s liberalised rail model. But a new report by Swedish think tank Katalys confirms what unions have long warned: liberalisation has failed. The promise of efficiency gave way to fragmentation and decline. It’s time to rethink rail—not as a market, but as a service for people and planet.