The European Voice reports: "Commission withdraws element of liberalisation proposal that would have obliged member states to separate companies that run train services from companies that own the tracks." It pointed out "Germany has succeeded in changing the content of a European Commission proposal on the liberalisation of railways before the proposal was even published."

Tony Berkeley, chairman of the UK's Rail Freight Group, was quoted as saying, “It seems the force of Germany has overtaken the Commission and forced them into a kind of retreat on unbundling,”. He stressed that the European Commission's proposal has for a Fourth Rail Package “It's going in the wrong direction and is totally against what the Commission was proposing a month ago, just because Merkel has decided this is what they're going to do.” Please read the article here.