50 years of ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport): transport policies for Greater Europe
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 1 April 2003 (10th Sitting) (see Doc. 9737, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, rapporteur: Mr Anacoreta Correia). Text adopted by the Assembly on 1 April 2003 (10th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
1. The Parliamentary Assembly has examined the report of its Committee on Economic Affairs and Development regarding the activities of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), notably since the Assembly’s last
Resolution 1186 (1999) on European transport policies.
2. The Assembly congratulates the ECMT on its fiftieth anniversary in 2003 and recalls its own regular reporting on ECMT activities since 1955. The ECMT, which today counts forty-two member countries, has made a vital contribution to forward-looking, pan-European transport policiesfor half a century. The Assembly fully supports the ECMT’s efforts to shape an integrated transport system across the continent, to establish close transport policy co-ordination between the European Union and other European countries, and to provide a forum for analysis and discussion on trends and problems in European transport.
3. Current transport policies in Europe reflect the overall recognition that market principles must lie at the heart of the system – with governments and international organisations such as the ECMT, the European Union, the OECD and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe establishing quality standards, co-ordinated investment strategies and an appropriate regulatory framework. Joint efforts by, and smooth co-operation between, these institutions are essential in order to achieve greater efficiency, competitiveness and interoperability of European transport networks, while also tackling environmental and safety problems.
4. The Assembly notes the growing pressure on the policy makers in the ECMT member states:
4.1 to seek a better balance between various modes of transport in order to ease congestion, notably by limiting the rapid increase in road traffic as economies grow;
4.2 to restructure the railway system to enable it to handle a larger share of transport;
4.3 to improve, and in particular ensure links between, waterways, which are alone capable of offering a completely environmentally-friendly response to growth in the transport of heavy materials, or transport by container;
4.4 to build new infrastructure which is necessary to accommodate rapidly growing traffic volumes, while maintaining the state and safety of the existing infrastructure, ensuring appropriate land-use planning and involving the private sector in the financing, development and management of such infrastructure;
4.5 to improve links with remote regions and the quality of public transport;
4.6 to enhance road safety;
4.7 to diminish the impact of transport on the environment and on public health.
5. Transport is a key element for the proper functioning of modern economies, including the EU’s Internal Market, and is a major driving force for European integration. The forthcoming enlargement of the European Union from fifteen to twenty-five member states, corresponding to over half the ECMT membership, will have considerable consequences for relations between the two institutions. The Assembly sees an essential role for the ECMT as lying in facilitating the convergence of policies and in continuing to harmonise standards between the two groups of countries, also in consideration of future EU enlargements.
6. The rapid changes in European transport have, unfortunately, left national railway systems largely unaffected, despite their potential for low-cost, fast, efficient and environmentally friendly transport. A radical policy breakthrough is therefore needed in order to improve the capacity of railways to carry freight and passengers rapidly and safely over long distances. The Assembly strongly supports the proposals by the European Commission for rapid progress towards an integrated European railway area, notably by establishing a European Railway Agency, which should aim to enhance interoperability between national systems, to develop a common approach to rail safety, and to accelerate and extend the opening of the rail freight and passenger markets to international competition.
7. Enhancing the safety and accessibility of transport systems takes on particular importance against the background of the 90 000 people killed and 2 million people injured annually in road accidents in the ECMT area. The Assembly strongly supports the ambition of the ECMT and the European Union to halve the number of road victims by 2010. It urges member states to implement the totality of ECMT decisions and recommendations in this area.
8. Crime in international transport – especially trafficking in human beings and transit fraud – and the terrorist threat to transport are of major concern to all European countries. The Assembly welcomes the ECMT’s work in these areas and endorses its 2002 Ministerial Declaration on Combating Terrorism in Transport, as well as its commitment to carrying out risk and vulnerability assessments for the various transport modes in this regard.
9. Several European regions need special transport policies to protect their environment and ensure lasting development. This holds particularly for the major transport hub of the Alps, which are criss-crossed by numerous rail and road links and include many densely populated valleys that suffer strongly from road transport pollution. The Assembly encourages the ECMT to pursue consultations with the European Commission and the countries concerned in order to optimise the regulations in force with regard to transalpine traffic in a way that respects the environment and public health.
10. Many congested European cities and regions seek to limit car use in favour of public transport. However, for such policies to succeed, land-use planning, public transportation, parking facilities and traffic management will have to improve significantly. The Assembly, recalling
Resolution 137 on integrated transport policies adopted in 2002 by the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, calls on the ECMT to study ways of promoting best practices and innovative policies among its member states in this domain, for example, via the use of congestion pricing, bio-fuels, car-sharing and park-and-ride services.
11. Finally, the Assembly invites the ECMT to continue to explore, jointly with the OECD, the possible contribution of electronics and computer technology to smoother and safer traffic flows.
