The liberalization of railway transport in Europe has paved the way to promote competition in this sector. The objective of this workshop is to analyze the role of competition in the provision of passenger and freight services according to available evidence. The main issues will be debated through the presentation of three academic papers followed by a round table with the participation of representatives of different economic agents with presence in these markets.

Decentralization of public expenditure responsibilities has spread in recent years in both developed and developing countries. However, only a part of these expenditures is funded by sub-central taxes and debt; the rest is funded by grants. Fiscal autonomy is further reduced by the fact that only a part of these taxes are under effective sub-central control; a high percentage of grants are earmarked, and debt autonomy is usually limited.