The European Management Committee (EMC) of the UIC European Region met in Paris on 8 June 2026 under the chairmanship of Stefano Donnarumma, CEO of FS Group, to review progress on a number of strategic priorities identified by European railway leaders for the 2026-2027 period.
The meeting confirmed the EMC’s commitment to maintaining a focused agenda centred on system-critical transformations affecting the future of European rail, including standardisation, resilience, digitalisation and data interoperability.
As part of the governance agenda, members approved the nomination of Andreas Matthä, CEO of ÖBB, as the fourth representative of the European Region on the UIC Executive Board. His appointment completes the European representation alongside Stefano Donnarumma (FS), Martin Frobisher (Network Rail) and Ivana Piňosová (ZSSK).
A first discussion focused on standardisation and the ongoing cooperation between UIC and CEN-CENELEC. Members were informed of the progress made in strengthening operational cooperation with relevant technical committees. The EMC also reviewed progress on railway resilience and climate adaptation. Members took note of the development of the RERA Hub, now established as a permanent UIC activity dedicated to resilience. The Hub provides a platform for cooperation on business continuity, critical asset protection, resilience investment and the exchange of operational best practices. Participants highlighted the growing importance of resilience as a strategic management issue for railway organisations facing increasingly frequent climate-related disruptions.
A substantial portion of the meeting focused on railway ontologies, a topic recognised by the EMC in Prague as a key enabler of future digitalisation. Discussions underscored the growing importance of semantic interoperability in supporting use cases such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, capacity optimisation, and cross-border data exchange. Members agreed on the value of building on existing initiatives and expertise while ensuring strong alignment across ongoing activities. To further foster knowledge sharing and collaboration, it was agreed to organise a workshop bringing together subject-matter experts from member companies to exchange experiences and present practical examples of ongoing work, The outcomes of the workshop will be reported back to the EMC at its September meeting.
The meeting concluded with a best-practice exchange featuring Phil Williams, Managing Director of ASD Team Defence Information. Drawing on the experience of the aerospace and defence sector, the discussion explored how common approaches to maintenance data exchange and lifecycle information management have helped improve interoperability, digital continuity and collaboration across complex industrial ecosystems. Members considered the lessons that could be relevant for the future development of the railway sector, particularly in the context of digitalisation, predictive maintenance and asset lifecycle management.
The discussions in Paris reflected the EMC’s continued evolution from a strategic discussion forum towards a platform supporting implementation and coordination on key European railway priorities.
