Transalpine traffic

Recommendation 1041 (1986)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 18 September 1986 (11th Sitting) (see Doc. 5610, report of the Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities, and Doc. 5622, opinion of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development). Text adopted by the Assembly on 18 September 1986 (11th Sitting).

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Being concerned at the situation caused by transalpine road traffic crossing Austria and Switzerland ;

2. Considering that the problems associated with extending road areas have increased significantly, making further extension almost impossible ;

3. Being concerned at the inadequacy of the transalpine railway system connecting Northern and Southern Europe ;

4. Considering the need to facilitate traffic crossing the Alps between Northern and Southern Europe ;

5. Considering the necessity of facilitating the exchange of goods between Northern and Southern Europe by providing suitable transalpine transport routes and thereby promoting economic growth in all European states ;

6. Recognising the specific problems with which the alpine countries, in particular Austria and Switzerland, are confronted because of the considerable increase in transalpine road traffic, and inviting its competent committees to prepare a special report on these problems by the end of 1987,

7. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the governments of member states having an interest in improving transalpine traffic to meet, in order to :

a establish a basis for decisions founded on expert reports on expansion and modernisation of transalpine railways, including marshalling yards, with a view to improving substantially the speed and quality of transport and increasing its capacity ;

b fix priorities for the construction of base transalpine railway tunnels, in order to ease road traffic as rapidly as possible, especially through the St. Gotthard and the Brenner ;

c make, in close consultation with the governments concerned, an early selection among the various possible solutions

d develop funding models reflecting the possibilities of private financing, financing by contributions from the member states concerned, and combinations of public and private financing ;

e devise a structure of costs and charges such as to ensure the competitiveness of combined road / rail transport, and explore the possibility of providing Community finance for the transport infrastructure that will be needed in non-Community countries ;

f promote in particular, together with the relevant infrastructures, the combined transport systems ;

g take every possible step to accelerate frontier formalities ;

h take measures rapidly leading to the transfer of transalpine goods traffic from road to rail ;

8. Asks the Committee of Ministers to report to the Assembly within one year on the result of the above negotiations.