European Committee Closes Case on Rodalies
The European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI) has rejected a request to investigate the safety and European funding of Rodalies, Catalonia’s commuter rail service. The decision, confirmed in the minutes of PETI’s meeting on 28th September 2026, closed a petition filed by Acció Cassandra, a legal entity representing the rights of the Catalan national minority.
The petition called for scrutiny of Rodalies safety, the traceability of EU funds allocated to the Mediterranean Corridor, and what the group describes as a structural investment deficit in Catalonia. Acció Cassandra had intended to use the findings in ongoing legal proceedings against Renfe and Adif, the rail operator and infrastructure manager, over the Gelida train accident on 20th January 2026, in which the organisation is acting as a private prosecutor.
Decision Backed by Major EU Political Groups
According to documents obtained by El Món, the closure was requested by the European People's Party (EPP) and Patriots for Europe (PfE), with support from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). The petitioner, Acció Cassandra, was not allowed to participate in the decision-making process.
PETI had previously declared the petition admissible on 15th October 2026, acknowledging it concerned areas within the European Union’s remit, and referred it to the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) “for information”. However, the committee decided not to pursue further examination.
The invoked debate took place 19 days before our petition was even submitted. It cannot serve as a response.
Claim of Procedural Inconsistency
Acció Cassandra argues that the justification for closing the case is flawed. The committee cited a plenary debate on railway safety held on 12th March 2026 as grounds for closure. However, the group points out that their petition was not submitted until 31st March 2026–19 days after that debate.
“The letter from the PETI president also does not explain how the specific grievances regarding Rodalies maintenance, the traceability of European funds, and the territorial imbalance of investment would have been addressed,” the group stated. They plan to file a formal request for the reopening of the case.
The full details of PETI’s deliberations are documented in the European Parliament’s official procedure file 2025/2114(INI), which covers the committee’s 2024 activities and was finalised on 9th October 2025.
Sources: El Món, oeil.europarl.europa.eu.
