On 25 September, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) held their regular Management Committee and General Assembly in Gdansk, kindly hosted by the Polish State Railways PKP. Among the bodies’ main decisions was the appointment of Crister Fritzson as the association’s Chairman and the election of the Management Committee.
Following his role as Acting Chairman since February 2017, the CER General Assembly confirmed Crister Fritzson (Chairman of the Swedish Association of Train Operators, ASTOC, and CEO & President of SJ) as CER Chairman with immediate effect for a period of two years (2018-2019).
CER Chairman Crister Fritzson (Chairman of the Association of Swedish Train Operating Companies, ASTOC, and CEO & President of SJ) said: “It is a great honour for me to have been given this mandate to serve as Chairman of CER. The cohesion and future direction of Europe is facing many challenges. I believe that the railway sector has a very important role to play in this context, being a backbone of environmentally friendly mobility solutions, a promoter of social inclusion, and a large employer. I intend to work closely with all the members of CER and the dedicated team in Brussels, but also seek to strengthen the voice of European railways by means of better coordination with other railway organisations. There are many priorities, one of them being the implementation of the Fourth Railway Package, where I will contribute with the Swedish experience of market opening and related reforms in the strive to achieve a truly competitive European railway sector.”
CER Executive Director Libor Lochman said: “With Crister Fritzson, CER has gained a committed Chairman with a clear political vision. I am very happy about the General Assembly’s decision to confirm his mandate for the next two years. I am looking forward to working hand-in-hand on our policy priorities aiming to further increase the railway’s efficiency.”
Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, Director General of UIC, who sat on the Management Committee at the CER General Assembly in Gdansk, is delighted with the decision to appoint Crister Fritzson as the association’s chairman as well as with the election of the Management Committee.
The complementarity between UIC and CER in their technical and political roles respectively should be further strengethened in order to better promote the visions and projects of the railway sector as it develops at European level.
(Source: CER)
