Reply to the 15th annual report of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 2 October 1969 (14th Sitting) (see Doc. 2618, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development). Text adopted by the Assembly on 2 October 1969 (14th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Recalling the great importance it has continued to attach in successive resolutions in reply to the annual reports of ECMT to the latter's agreeing on common principles for a surface transport policy ; noting that the 15th report itself repeatedly underlines the virtual impossibility of arriving at any meaningful solution of numerous pressing transport problems of international importance, including inter alia the question of railway finance, until further progress is achieved in agreeing on such common principles ; not unconscious of the extent of the difficulties to be overcome in reconciling conflicting national viewpoints in this field, nevertheless desires to underline the heavy and continuing cost to the whole of Europe so long as agreement on such principles is not reached,
2. Expresses its grave concern at the burdens being imposed on the budgets of ECMT member countries by the ever deteriorating state of railway finances ;
3. While approving of the basic principle of "normalisation" of railway accounts, would deplore any enlargement of the range of items hitherto regarded as subject to "normalisation" treatment since this could result in the presentation of balance sheets failing to give a full and fair picture of the situation,
4. Attaches the greatest importance to the early completion of the railway traffic pattern forecasts on which ECMT has embarked, and regrets the difficulties which ECMT has encountered in collecting the necessary data ;
5. Warmly approves of the work being carried out by the Road Safety Committee of ECMT ; believes however, having regard to the persistence of substantial differences in the incidence of road accidents in neighbouring countries, that the time has come for the committee to undertake a pooling of experience both on how to secure greater respect of traffic regulations and on steps to encourage advanced driver training, as well as on the studies now being made of how to make vehicles more secure in themselves both from the point of view of construction and from that of directional control ;
6. Notes with satisfaction the advanced state now reached in securing definitive agreement on a European Highway Code, and supports the decision of ECMT to attempt to secure as wide an acceptance as possible of the Code by utilising the framework of the UN Economic Commission for Europe for the final negotiations ; expresses its conviction, however, that it is essential that final agreement should be reached in the very near future ;
7. Continuing to welcome the work carried out by ECMT in the field of studying the administrative, legal, economic and technical obstacles which have been hindering the wider use of certain existing but comparatively new transport techniques, particularly those arising in the field of combined transport, recalls the opinion it expressed in
Resolution 389 asking ECMT to review whether there are not other new and highly promising transport techniques which have not so far come into commercial use precisely because of the existence of the kind of obstacles referred to above,
8. Hopes that ECMT will take all appropriate measures to encourage such bilateral or multilateral agreements as may be calculated to lead to the suppression of international green motoring insurance cards ;
9. Counts on national parliaments to fully collaborate in the implementation of the rules decided upon by ECMT and to endeavour to remove any legislative obstacles which could hinder the introduction of a common transport policy.
