CONFÉRENCE EUROPÉENNE DES MINISTRES DES TRANSPORTS
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORTRESOLUTION No. 94/5 ON REMOVAL OF OBSTACLES AT BORDER CROSSINGSFOR INTERNATIONAL ROAD GOODS TRANSPORT[CEMT/CM(94)11/FINAL]

The Council of Ministers of the ECMT, meeting in Annecy on 26th and 27th May 1994,

HAVING REGARD to Resolution N°50 of 1984 on the removal of obstacles to international goods
transport and to the fourth follow-up report on the implementation of this Resolution[CEMT/CM(94)11] and to the relevant paragraphs of the Crete Declaration, in particularparagraph C.3, stating:"The crossing of borders should be made progressively easier, until all unnecessary obstacles totransport have been removed";

RECALLING that rail transport was not covered in the fourth follow-up report [CEMT/CM(94)11]
in this connection because the relevant work was being done by other bodies;

REAFFIRMING that measures to facilitate border controls need to be taken for rail transport to thesame extent as for road transport;

BEARING IN MIND:--

the recent rapid expansion of goods and passenger traffic between Western Europe and theemerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the resultant pressure on existing
border crossings, particularly at the external frontier of the European Community (EC) andthe European Economic Area (EEA);--

the fundamental needs to provide training for hauliers which is geared to the requirements ofinternational transport;--

the need to reduce waiting times at frontiers and the associated costs and inconvenience.

--

the need nevertheless for the authorities to apply appropriate customs controls to prevent
fraudulent cross border activities.

TAKES NOTE:--

that significant progress has been made to abolish frontier controls since the adoption ofECMT Resolution N°50 through the completion of the Single Market within the EC and theestablishment of the EEA;--that substantial progress has been made by ECMT Member Countries in Central and Eastern
Europe -- either unilaterally or in cooperation with neighbouring countries -- in identifyingand tackling the border crossing difficulties which have emerged in recent years;--

that existing conventions and organisations governing international road transport alreadyprovide the framework within which to overcome present problems;--that the rate of progress in improvements is likely to be dependent on the availability offinance.

REGRETS that, despite the efforts made since 1984, there are still just as many obstacles at bordercrossings.

DECIDES:1.

to re-affirm the commitments made under Resolution No. 50 on the Removal of Obstacles toInternational Goods Transport;

2.

to urge Member Countries to take practical steps to increase, where necessary, the capacity
at border crossing posts so as to improve traffic flows, and to complement this action bysimplifying and harmonising administrative procedures, more particularly by making greateruse of telematics' systems and by establishing more joint controls by neighbouring countries
or, at least, by setting up priority lanes for vehicles which are covered by regimes facilitatinginternational goods transport (TIR, ECMT);

3.

to encourage Member countries to take advantage of the assistance and expertise -particularly in the fields of training and management -- offered by internationalorganisations such as the EC, the UN/ECE and the International Road Transport Union(IRU); to specify/develop performance targets in terms of handling/throughput at controlpoints; and to exchange information and experience on the development of best practice;4.

to encourage investment -- in improving existing facilities and in developing new bordercrossing points and associated infrastructure -- through international finance organisations
such as the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),
the European Investment Bank (EIB), by private financing as well as the EC's PHARE andTACIS programmes, to supplement existing national and bilateral commitments;

5.

to encourage the improvement, adaptation and proper implementation of Conventions
governing international road transport by existing signatories, and encourage newly
independent states to accelerate the process of adoption and implementation;

RECOMMENDS that Ministers of Transport of ECMT Member Countries exercise as muchinfluence as possible, in cooperation with their relevant Ministerial colleagues, to implement
these decisions fully as a matter of urgency, with a view to achieving the removal of obstacles onpriority corridors by the year 2000;

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URGES the bodies responsible for rail transport to decide upon measures for the removal of obstacles
at border crossings and to have them implemented as soon as possible in order to provide an
attractive and competitive alternative to road transport;

INSTRUCTS the Committee of Deputies to monitor the implementation of this Resolution and toreport to the Council by 1998.

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