Reply to the 13th annual report of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- [1]. Assembly debate on 26th September 1967 (11th Sitting) (see Doc. 2263, report of the Economic Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 26th September 1967 (11th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Thanks ECMT for the transmission of its 13th annual report ;
2. Attaches the utmost importance to ECMT's making further progress towards drawing up common principles for a surface transport policy, and hopes that the decision of the Council to dissolve the ad hoc Group for General Transport Policy and to handle the discussion itself, will lead to more energetic action ;
3. Welcomes the increasing emphasis being placed by ECMT on research into transport economics with a view to encouraging the formulation of such common principles on a scientific basis, and looks forward to receiving the results of the Second Symposium on Transport Economics, to be held in Munich ;
4. Believing that the best possible forecasts of transport demand between now and 1975 both as regards passengers and freight are an essential element in arriving at a common transport policy, welcomes the integrated studies currently being undertaken by ECMT in this field, and hopes that the fullest use will be made in this context of the latest econometric and sample survey techniques ;
5. Notes with satisfaction that certain liberalisation measures relating to international road transport adopted in
Resolution No. 16 came into operation on 1st July 1967, but nevertheless expresses its concern at the fact that the development of international long-distance road transport continues in a large measure to be hampered by the incidental effect of different national policies of internal road transport licensing ;
6. Requests ECMT to devote a section in its future reports to significant developments in the field of transport technology ;
7. Expresses its grave concern at the fact that despite extensive measures of rationalisation, the state of railway finances generally is, in the words of the 13th report : ". . . unchanged, if not worse", and calls attention to the magnitude of the burden this state of affairs imposes on the budgets of ECMT member countries ;
8. Reiterates its request for information regarding the Channel Tunnel project and its possible consequences for European transport ;
9. Encourages ECMT to pursue its work on the prevention of road accidents ; in particular expresses the hope that member Governments will promptly put into effect the European Agreement on the Work of Crews of Vehicles engaged in International Road Transport which they have undertaken to ratify and trusts that they will not slacken their present efforts to achieve the coordination of road traffic rules so as to enable a European Highway Code to be arrived at as soon as possible.
