In the European Union, the rights and obligations of rail passengers and the competent authorities of the Member States in this area are currently determined in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the rights and obligations of rail passengers.
In the Republic of Latvia, the competence of the authorities in the field of the protection of rail passengers' rights in accordance with the requirements of EU Regulation No 1371/2007 is provided for in Article 33.3 of the Railway Law. According to it:
- the authority responsible for the carriage of passengers by inland rail is the Road Transport Directorate;
- in international rail passenger transport - the State Railway Administration.
The European Commission has developed and published guidelines in 2015 (Commission Communication 2015/C 220/01) on Regulation (EC) No.1371/2007 on the rights and obligations of rail passengers, which includes explanations regarding the requirements and conditions of that Regulation.
A new regulation on rail passengers' rights and obligations is currently being prepared in the EU (a new draft regulation), which is in the process of harmonising and examining the EU institutions.