New ERA Executive Oana Gherghinescu has opportunity to shape European Rail’s future
Oana Gherghinescu’s appointment to lead the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is welcomed by the European Rail Supply Industry, at a time when leadership and key regulatory decisions are required to ensure the European rail industry and broader sector remain as world leaders.
UNIFE Director General Enno Wiebe today on behalf of the industry sends congratulations to the incoming ERA Executive Director, whose vast institutional and business-minded expertise make her a welcome appointee for the role and responsibility.
The incoming ERA Executive Director has many challenges and opportunities ready to meet her. They include decisive action on ETCS and onboard signalling, operational rules harmonisation, Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) and the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC), while also ensuring an on-going focus is on Cybersecurity and digital network resilience.
UNIFE and the European Rail Supply Industry seek pragmatic solutions which fit the sector’s needs, and ensure we continue to work together on the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Single European Railway Area. Success in these areas will bring increased performance, capacity, safety and digitalisation of the European rail system, and will further drive a modal shift to rail, in line with current legislative targets.
The development and implementation of these key items will still require significant coordinated efforts across the sector, European Institutions and with Member States, and must also be accompanied by sound impact assessments and migration strategies.
UNIFE also expects the newly appointed ERA Executive Director to bring renewed energy and vision in optimising the Agency's key authority tasks, notably streamlining of the vehicle authorisation process, in anticipation of the expected wave of ETCS and FRMCS retro-fittings and future DAC rollout. UNIFE is ready to support ERA in finding pragmatic solutions towards this objective and in other tasks such as ERTMS trackside approval and simplification of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs).
Oana Gherghinescu’s storied career includes over a decade at ERA, which includes multiple senior roles and leading the organisation across the Executive Unit Office, Corporate Performance and Finance and Procurement. Further to this, her career also includes previous experience at the European Commission, and working across broader European policy as both a consultant and Lecturer and Researcher in Economics at the University of Craiova.
Our message to the newly appointed Executive Director is that UNIFE will work hard to ensure the particulars of the railway business are communicated to ERA, whilst a balance must be struck to streamline regulations and support the competitiveness of the industry.
UNIFE also supports and welcomes a well-funded ERA, and wants to convey that during such a time of great change, innovation and global risk, the industry needs strong leadership from the organisation.
Our organisation has an unwavering dedication to ERA and its overall mission, and backs the newly appointed ERA Executive Director to achieve her mandate. UNIFE and ERA share a goal in driving a European approach that is ‘without frontiers’ and the elimination of national rules.
As part of this on-going relationship, UNIFE strives to continue to be a strong and reliable partner of ERA, and facilitate our business within the frameworks developed by the Agency.
Quotes attributable to UNIFE Director General Enno Wiebe:
“My warmest congratulations to Oana Gherghinescu on her appointment as ERA Executive Director. The Agency has consistently been a deeply valued and reliable partner with UNIFE, and we want to keep this relationship strong, for the benefit of consumers, the European industry, and the railway sector.”
“Strong leadership and the adoption of pragmatic solutions is required to simplify and accelerate the introduction of innovative technology solutions towards a more efficient, attractive and competitive European railway network. This is what we hope the incoming ERA Executive Director’s term to be remembered for.”
“It is now time to bring increased efficiency of procedures and regulatory predictability to the sector, which is vital to maintain the competitiveness of the European Rail Supply Industry. We are banking on the new ERA Executive Director to offer fresh ideas, problem-solving efforts, and practical methods that can achieve this goal in a supportive and collaborative environment.”
