Responding to the Commission’s Call for Evidence on a Single Basic Act for Horizon Europe Joint Undertakings, EIM urges the EU to explicitly enable a strengthened, dedicated Rail Joint Undertaking for 2028–2034 — not to dilute rail within a broad cluster.

Rail is the one transport mode where Europe still leads globally, contributing €143 billion to EU GDP and 2.3 million jobs. Infrastructure managers carry the heaviest burden, with ERTMS deployment alone estimated at €74–111 billion. Only a coordinated partnership can harmonise solutions once and deploy them across the network.

EIM’s asks: a coordinated €18 billion budget (€3bn R&I + €15bn pre-deployment, blended across Horizon Europe, ECF and CEF-T); a full pre-deployment Pillar; and open coordinated governance with suppliers, SMEs and start-ups — while strengthening  ERA’s regulatory role.

Read the Position Paper here :