Tasks
Article 16
1. Each Member State shall establish a national safety authority. Member States shall ensure that the national safety authority has the necessary internal and external organisational capacity in terms of human and material resources. That authority shall be independent in its organisation, legal structure and decision-making from any railway undertaking, infrastructure manager, applicant or contracting entity and from any entity awarding public service contracts. Provided that such independence is guaranteed, that authority may be a department within the national ministry responsible for transport matters. 2. The national safety authority shall be entrusted with at least the following tasks: (a) authorising the placing in service of the trackside control-command and signalling, energy and infrastructure subsystems constituting the Union rail system in accordance with Article 18(2) of Directive (EU) 2016/797; (b) issuing, renewing, amending and revoking vehicle authorisations for placing on the market in accordance with Article 21(8) of Directive (EU) 2016/797; (c) supporting the Agency in the issuing, renewal, amendment and revocation of vehicle authorisations for placing on the market in accordance with Article 21(5) of Directive (EU) 2016/797 and type authorisations of vehicle in accordance with Article 24 of Directive (EU) 2016/797; (d) supervising, in its territory, that interoperability constituents are in compliance with the essential requirements as required by Article 8 of Directive (EU) 2016/797; (e) ensuring that a vehicle number has been assigned in accordance with Article 46 of Directive (EU) 2016/797, without prejudice to Article 47(4) of that Directive; (f) supporting the Agency in the issuing, renewal, amendment and revocation of single safety certificates granted in accordance with Article 10(5); (g) issuing, renewing, amending and revoking single safety certificates granted in accordance with Article 10(8); (h) issuing, renewing, amending and revoking safety authorisations granted in accordance with Article 12; (i) monitoring, promoting, and, where appropriate, enforcing and updating the safety regulatory framework including the system of national rules; (j) supervising railway undertakings and infrastructure managers in accordance with Article 17; (k) where relevant, and in accordance with national law, issuing, renewing, amending and revoking train driving licences in accordance with Directive 2007/59/EC; (l) where relevant, and in accordance with national law, issuing, renewing, amending and revoking certificates granted to entities in charge of maintenance. 3. The tasks referred to in paragraph 2 may not be transferred or subcontracted to any infrastructure manager, railway undertaking or contracting entity.