欧盟欢迎英法海底隧道的计划

 　　BRUSSELS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) said on Monday it welcomes Eurotunnel's announcement to cut charges imposed on rail freight operators by up to 50 percent.

　　"I welcome Eurotunnel's announcement because it should pave the way for more freight to use the Channel Tunnel and at lower prices," said Vice-President of the European Commission Siim Kallas.

　　"This is good news for Europe's businesses that rely on effective and competitively priced transport services and good news for consumers they serve," Kallas added.

　　According to an EU statement, currently only seven rail freight trains run through the tunnel each day on average, while there is 43 percent unused capacity.

　　Rail freight companies complain that excessive track access charges and other mandatory¹ charges make it uneconomic to use the tunnel.

1 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。