30.12.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC352/23
12.2.2.Itwouldbeuseful,however,if,whenthetocontemplatethefundingquestionandissueacorn­
Commissionsubmittedproposalsfortransport,itweremunicationonthismatter.
DoneatBrussels,20October1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheSecondAll-EuropeanTransportConference
(93/C352/06
On26January1993theEconomicandSocialCommitteedecidedtodrawupanOpinion
ontheSecondAll-EuropeanTransportConference .
TheSectionforTransportandCommunications ,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingthe
Committee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon6October1993.TheRapporteur
wasMrBleser.
Atits309thPlenarySession(meetingof20October1993)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.Objectiveandoutcomeofthefirstall-European
transportconference (1991)policy'sobjectivesandeffortstoharmonize,andclose
cooperationshouldbedeveloped .
1.1.Thefirstall-Europeantransportconferencewas
heldinPragueon29/31October1991.TheEuropean
ParliamentandtheCommissionoftheEuropeanCom­
munity,incollaboration withthePresidencyofthe
CouncilofMinistersoftheEuropeanCommunity ,the
UNEconomicCommissionforEurope,theEuropean
ConferenceofTransportMinisters (ECTM)andthe
EuropeanCivilAviationConference (ECAC),werethe
primemoversbehindthisconference .1.3.ThePragueConferencefocusedonintegrated
transportplanning,thepossibilitiesforaEurope-wide
networkplanandquestionsrelatingtoinfrastructure
planningandfinancing.Thepurposewastoshowhow
toadaptthewhollyinadequateinfrastructure tothe
requirementsoftransittrafficandtoeconomicdevelop­
mentandchange.Thesubmissionsalsodealtwith
environmental protection,energyefficiencyandtrans­
portsafety,albeitonlyinpassing.
1.4.Theconferenceclosedwiththeadoptionofa
jointdeclarationontheprinciplesofanall-European
transportpolicy(PragueDeclarationof31October
1991onanall-Europeantransportpolicy).Agreement
wasreachedthereinonthecreationofanintegrated
transportsystemwhichwasbasedontheprinciplesof
themarketeconomyandwascommensurate with
social,environmental andenergyobjectives.Commit­
mentsweremadetocooperateintheplanningofEuro­
peantransportnetworks,encourageintermodaland
combinedtransportandliberalizeairandseatransport.
Furtherstepstowardscooperationintransportpolicy
werealsolaiddown.1.2.Theaimoftheconferencewastogetthe
countriesofCentralandEasternEuropeinvolvedin
thedevelopmentofaglobalEuropeantransportpolicy.
SuchapolicywasbeginningtotakeshapeintheCom­
munityatthattimeand,withtheEuropeanEconomic
Areaintheoffing,alreadypointedbeyondtheCom­
munity'sfrontiers.Itwasfeltthat,asafirststeptowards
establishingatransportpolicywhichcoversthewhole
ofEurope,thecountriesofCentralandEasternEurope
shouldbegivendevelopmentaid.Inadditionthenew
East-Westtraderelationsshouldbesupportedand
secured,inkeepingwiththeintra-Community transport

NoC352/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.12.93
2.Theroadtowardsthesecondall-Europeantrans­
portconference (1994)
2.1.Aspeciallyappointedsteeringcommitteehas
metregularlytomonitorthefollow-uptothefirst
conferenceandplanandcoordinatetheorganization
ofthesecondconference .Thesteeringcommitteecom­
prisesmembersoftheEuropeanParliament'sTransport
Committeeandrepresentatives oftheCommission ,the
UN-ECE,theECCouncilofMinisters,theECMT,
theECACandtheESC'sSectionforTransportand
Communications .MrMasucciandMrPompen)(2).TheseOpinionsmake
criticalreferencetotheshock-therapy tacticsusedto
introducemarketeconomiesinCentralandEastern
Europe.Inthemovestobringthesecountriesandthe
EuropeanCommunityclosertogether,socialconver­
genceisnotgivensufficientprominenceasanobjective.
Thenegotiationanddevelopmentofthesocialdialogue
couldbetheEconomicandSocialCommittee'spriority
task.
3.3.ThisOwn-initiative Opinioncannotpossibly
setouttodeviseanewtransportpolicyforEurope.
However,itcandescribetheconditions,prerequisites
andinstrumentsforatransportpolicywhichisbased
onmarketprinciples,issociallyandeconomicallyjust
andisbalancedinenvironmental andcompetitionpol­
icyterms.
3.4.Eventhoughthefocusistobeontheestablish­
mentoftransportlinksbetweenEasternandWestern
Europeandondevelopments inthecountriesofCentral
andEasternEurope,theeffortsbeingmadewithinthe
Communitytoeliminateinequalitiesandestablisha
balancedcommontransportpolicyshouldnotbecut
back.
3.5.Theonlywaytogoaboutestablishingabal­
ancedtransportpolicyforthewholeofEuropeisto
holdasocial,politicalandeconomicdialogueinvolving
allinterestedparties.Theall-Europeantransportcon­
ferenceisanimportantplatforminthiscontextforthe
dialogueontransportpolicy.Therefore,theremustbe
adequatenumbersofsocio-economic representatives at
theconferencealongsidethegovernmentandparlia­
mentaryrepresentatives .Tradeunionsandemployers'
organizations mustberepresentedinequalnumbers
andtheattendanceofotherimportantassociations
mustalsobeensured.2.2.Aninitialdraftdocumenthasbeendrawnupin
themeantimeontheorganizationofthenextconference
andthetopicstobediscussed.Theconferencewilltake
placeintheweekfrom14to18March1994andextend
overthreedays.Theseconddayoftheconferenceis
tobesetasideforworkingpartydiscussionsonthe
followingsubjects:developments sincethePragueCon­
ference,infrastructure requirements andfinancing,
Transport2000withspecialemphasisonsocialand
environmental aspectsand,possibly,adraftinggroup
foraEuropeantransportpolicydeclaration .
2.3.Thesecondconferenceistoculminateinthe
signingofanall-Europeantransportpolicydeclaration
which,astheexpressionofthesignatories'political
self-commitment ,istotranslatethePragueDeclaration
intoconcretemeasures .TheEconomicandSocialCom­
mitteesupportstheadoptionofthisdeclaration .It
thinksthatthedeclaration'sadoptionwillunderline
theimportanceoftransportpolicyforthewholeof
Europe'sdevelopmentandemphasizethesignatories'
willtomakethesecondall-Europeanconference'scon­
clusionsbinding.
4.Maincomponentsofanall-Europeantransport
policy3.PrerequisitesfortheOwn-initiative Opinion
3.1.TheEconomicandSocialCommitteewelcomes
theEuropeanParliament'sinitiativeandtheInterim
ReportoftheEuropeanParliament'sTransportand
TourismCommitteeon'Furtherstepstowardsanall­
EuropeanTransportPolicy—measuresfollowingthe
firstEuropeanTransportConference'.TheEconomic
andSocialCommitteeparticularlywelcomesthepoints
forconsiderationforanall-Europeantransportpolicy
declarationtobefoundintheReport'sAnnexII.
3.2.TheESChasalreadyproducedOpinionson
cooperationwiththecountriesofCentralandEastern
Europe.SpecialmentionshouldbemadeoftheOpinion
onECrelationswiththecountriesofCentraland
EasternEurope(Rapporteur :MrPetersen)(*)andthe
Opiniononeconomicandsocialorganizations inthe
countriesofCentralandEasternEurope(Rapporteurs :4.1.Economicandsocialroleoftransportinthestruc­
turalreformsinCentralandEasternEurope
4.1.1.ThecountriesofCentralandEasternEurope
havewitnessedtherapidandtotalcollapseoftheir
State-controlled economies .Theeconomicrestructur­
ingprocesshasbeenfurtherimpededbythelackofa
nation-statetraditionandtheoutbreakofethniccon­
flicts.ThecountriesofWesternEuropecannotescape
thefactthattheyhavearesponsibilitytobearforthe
successofthisrestructuringprocess.
4.1.2.RebuildingtheeconomiesinCentralandEast­
ernEuropemeanslearningfrompastmistakes.Thisis
somethingwhichcanandmustbedoneandconcerns
(')OJNoC339,31.12.1991. (2)OJNoC19,25.1.1993.

30.12.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC352/25
boththemistakesmadeintheex-Communist countries
andthemistakesmade—mainlyintheperiodafter
theSecondWorldWar-inthecountriesofWestern
Europe.4.2.3.CommontoallthecountriesofCentraland
EasternEuropeisthefactthatalthoughintensiveuse
ismadeofalltransportandespeciallypublictransport,
thefacilitieshavebeenallowedtodecayandconstitute
aweakordownrightinadequatebasefortheestablish­
mentofanefficienttransportsectorthatisenvironmen­
tally-andsocially-compatible .TheformerCommunist
governmentsinvestedlittleintransport.4.1.3.TherecanbenoeconomicrenaissanceinCen­
tralandEasternEuropewithoutasuitableinfrastruc­
tureandaproperlyfunctioningtransportsystem.Every
investmentactivityisdirectlylinkedtowhatexistsin
termsofinfrastructure .Acountry'seconomicdevelop­
mentdependsontheauthoritiesprovidingtransport
infrastructure ,withthehelpofprivatecapital,aspart
oftheirpublicservicecommitment .Theroleoftrans­
portandmeansofcommunications shouldthereforebe
emphasizedtimeandagain.4.2.4.Consequently ,sothattheinfrastructure on
whicheconomicprogresshingescanbebuilt,invest­
mentwillberequired'fromoutside'andespecially
fromWesternEuropeancountriesandbusinesses .The
transportsectorwillhavetobethoroughlyoverhauled .
Thisappliesparticularlytopublictransport,whichis
inneedofbasicrefurbishment ,butalsotoprivate
systems,whichinmanycasesstillhavetobesetup.4.1.4.Inrecentyears,sincetheopeningofthebor­
derswithWesternEurope,ithasbecomeclearthat
theeconomicparalysisinCentralandEasternEurope
cannotbecuredbymerelypursuingapolicyofselective
liberalization .TheState'sresponsibility asaprovider
ofservicesmustbestrengthened inordertosecure
lastingprosperity .Thisappliesinparticulartotrans­
port.Ontheonehand,transportfulfilsasocialfunction
andontheotherhand,theradicalchangesinthe
transportsectormustbesociallycompatible .4.2.5.Thisurgentinvestmentstillhastocontend
withbureaucraticred-tapeinCentralandEasternEuro­
pe.TheESCconsidersthatthereisanurgentneed
tohelpthesecountriessetupefficientadministrative
machineryandthusestablishthebasisforextensive
investment .
4.1.5.TheupheavalinCentralandEasternEurope
presentsamajorchallengefortransport.Thetransport
sectormustbeabletoofferaflexibleresponse,both
nowandthroughouttheperiodofeconomicrestructur­
ing,ifitistomakeanoptimumcontributiontoecon­
omicandsocialdevelopment .Thedebateaboutthe
roleoftransportinWesternEuropecanalsobenefit
fromthisideathattransportshouldbeflexible.4.2.6.Atthesametimethetaskfacingthese
countriesinthefieldoftransportisaverydifficultone.
Virtuallynothingisbeingdonetoestablishplansand
tackletheproblem,despitetheurgentneed.Outside
expertiseisurgentlyrequiredhere.
4.2.7.InmanycountriesofCentralandEasternEur­
opeindustrialrelationsstilldonotexistinthereal
sense.InmostfirmstheStateisstilltheemployer.
Greatimportancemustthereforebeattachedtothe
developmentofindustrialrelationsandtothedemo­
cratically-based politicaldialogueingeneral.4.2.Analysisoftheobstaclesimpedingthedevelop­
mentoftransportsystemsinthecountriesof
CentralandEasternEurope,withdueregardto
economic,social,environmental andenergycon­
siderations
4.2.8.InmanycountriesofCentralandEasternEur­
opetransport'simplicationsforenvironment and
energypolicyhavezeropriorityinpractice.Inthisarea,
too,thesecountrieshavetorelyonthecountriesof
WesternEuropeforadviceandassistance.4,2,1,Thedevelopmentoftransportsystemsinthe
countriesofCentralandEasternEuropewillstartfrom
differentbases.Thisisduenotonlytothesecountries'
varyinglevelsofeconomicdevelopmentbutalsothe
differentprioritieswhicheachcountryhassetfortrans­
port.
4.2.9.Beforeembarkingontheroadtowardsanall­
Europeantransportpolicyitisnecessarytpconsider
thepresentsituationandfutureoutlookofeachmode.
TheformerCommunistgovernments continually
developedtheirinternationaltransportlinksbuttended
toneglecttheirdomesticsystems.4.2.2.Theprospectsfortransportalsovaryfrom
countrytocountry,becausetheroleoftransportisseen
differentlyineachcountryandbecausethesupport
givenbytheirgovernmentsandtheirWesternpartners
alsodiffers.

NoC352/26 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.12.93
4.3.DevelopingtherudimentsofaEuropeantransport
policyinagreementwithnon-ECEuropean
countries
4.3.1.Anall-Europeantransportpolicywhichhas
itsbasicprinciplesenshrinedinapolicydeclaration
mustformulateablueprintwhichgivesprecedenceto
thedevelopmentofpublictransport,therailways,the
inlandwaterways,portsandcombinedsystems.Inthis
way,theblueprintwouldmakeallowanceforsocial,
energyandenvironmental considerations .
4.3.2.Anall-Europeantransportpolicymustbe
basedonthesocialmarketeconomyandacompetitive
environment .Allowancemustbemadeinthisconnec­
tionfornational,regionalandinternationaltransport
requirements .
4.3.3.Thelawsandadministrative provisionsofthe
countriesoftheEEAandCentralandEasternEurope
needtobealignedforanall-Europeantransportpolicy.
Onlythenwillitbepossibletoputablueprintforthe
wholeofEuropeintoeffect.Inthisconnection,itwould
bedesirableifthebindingminimumrequirementsappli­
cableintheECinthesocial,energyandenvironmental
sectorscouldbetakenoverbythecountriesofCentral
andEasternEurope.Thenewpoliticalandgovernment
structuresinthecountriesofCentra]andEasternEuro­
pemustensurethatinternationally recognizedstan­
dardsarelegallybinding.
4.3.4.Thelong-termaimisanall-Europeanecon­
omicareawithoutfrontiers.Thiswillnecessitatean
appropriatelevelofharmonization beforehand .Asamatterofprinciple,fulfilmentoftheobligations
inherentinthepublicserviceconceptshouldcontinue
tobeguaranteedforpassengertransportandalsofor
goodstransportincertaincircumstances .
4.3.5.2.Roadtransport
TheEconomicandSocialCommitteeurgestheestab­
lishmentforbothpassengerandgoodstransportofa
freemarketstructureinwhichhealthybusinessescom­
petefairlyandoffertheirworkforcesdecentworking
conditions .Roadnetworkswhicharetailoredtotraffic
needsshouldalsobebuiltorextended.
Specialimportanceshouldbeattachedtothestrict
observanceofsocialprovisionsinroadtransport.
Prominenceshouldbegiventopublicpassengertrans­
portinordertocountertheadverseeffectsofthe
growthinprivatetransport.
4.3.5.3.Waterwaytransport
ThepoliticalchangesinEasternEuropehavegiven
inlandwaterwaytransportanewleaseoflife.There­
fore,waterwaytransport'sintegrationinintermodal
transportandthemodernization ofequipment,and
especiallytransshipment facilities,areimportanttasks
facinganall-Europeantransportpolicy.
InEasternEuropesociallyacceptableworkingcon­
ditionsmustbemaintainedandthehighestpossible
safetystandardsmustbeobservedsoastoaccordwith
waterwaytransport'simportanceasanenvironmen­
tally-compatible formoftransport(whichislikelyto
growstillfurtherinfuture).
4.3.5.4.Airtransport
TheEconomicandSocialCommitteethinksthatfurther
progressinEuropetowardstheliberalizationofair
transportandinthefieldofairtrafficmanagement
shouldnotleadtoaloweringofenvironmental stan­
dardsorcauseairsafetyandthesafetyofpersonnel
tosuffer.Thestandardization ofairtrafficcontrols
throughoutthewholeofEuropeisanextremelyurgent
matter.Withthisinmind,thereisaneed,interalia,to
updatetheWarsawConventionsignedon12October
1929andamendedinTheHagueon28September1955.
4.3.5.5.Maritimeandcoastalshipping
TheEconomicandSocialCommitteeemphasizesthat
theCommunityproposalsonsafetyatseaandsafety
andhealthintransportactivitiesshouldequallybe
appliedtoallEuropeantransportsystemswithaview
toharmonizingstandardsandavoidingdistortionsof
competition .Coastalshippingshouldbeassignedan
evenmoreimportantroleinatransportsystemcovering
thewholeofEurope.4.3.5.Specificroleofindividualmodes
inanintegrated all-European
transportpolicy
4.3.5.1.Railtransport
Therearetwotaskstobeperformedinthissector:
firstlytherailwayswillhavetoberunoncommercial
lines(regardlessofwhethertheyarepubliclyorpri­
vatelyowned)and,secondly,equipmentwillhaveto
bemodernizedwiththeaidofup-to-dateinformation
andcommunications technology .Specialvalueshould
beattachedinthiscontexttothedevelopmentofcom­
binedtransport.Infrastructure mustbeadaptedtothe
intermodalneedsofallmodes.Thiswillinvolvefurther
developmentworkwhichgivesprioritytointermodal
interfaces.
Trans-European networksshouldnotneglecttheneed
toprovidebroadgeographicalcover.Regionaltrans­
portrequirementscannotbeservedunlessthesenet­
worksaremaintainedandextended.

30.12.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC352/27
Specialimportancemustbeattachedtothemonitoring
andobservanceofworkers'fundamentalsocialrights
andtoensuringthatthetrainingreceivedbycrewsand
theorganizationofworkonEuropeanvesselsaccord
withexistingsafetyprovisions.Thepositivemeasures
requiredtopreservetheCommunityfleetmustbe
appliedthroughoutEuropeinordertoavertfurther
flagging-outandtheestablishmentofnationaloffshore
registers.consultativecommitteeswithintheframeworkofthe
Europeagreementsisanimportantinitialstep.Such
committeeswouldalsosupportthesocialdialoguein
themannerdescribedaboveinthosecountrieswhich
aretobegivenassociatedstatus.Aboveall,thesecom­
mitteesshouldbeinvolvedintheframingoftransport
agreementsbetweentheEuropeanCommunityand
thirdcountries .Evenconsultations withintheCom­
munitydonotfunctionproperlyinthisarea,asdemon­
stratedtimeandagainbyexpostfactoreferraltothe
EconomicandSocialCommitteeofagreementsthat
havealreadybeensigned.
5.Thesocialdialogueaspartofanall-Europeantrans­
portpolicy—establishment ofconsultative
machinery
5.1.Beingapartytoanall-Europeantransportpol­
icywillhaveastabilizingeffectonthecountriesof
CentralandEasternEuropewhichshouldnotbeunder­
estimated.Irrespectiveofanyassociatedtransfersof
funds,thesaywhichthesecountrieswillhaveinthe
framingofacommontransportpolicywillinitself
haveanimportantgeneralpolicymaking effectwhich
willtranscendthesecountries'transportinterests.Spe­
cialattentionwillhavetobepaidtothisstabilizing
function,whichhasnomatchinrelationswiththe
countriesoftheEEAorthenewparticipantcountries
fromtheEast.5.4.2.TheEconomicandSocialCommitteerec­
ommendstheframingofablueprintfortransportser­
vicesandsystemsinthewholeofEurope,basedon
existingideasandinitiatives.Theregionalaspectsof
transportplanningmustbeincludedinthisblueprint.
Theinterestsofthesocialpartnersinthedifferent
countriesmustbetakenintoconsideration inthiswork.
Thiscouldbedone,forexample,bysettingupcham­
berstorepresentvariousinterestgroups.WithinCen­
tralandEasternEuropeastarthasalreadybeenmade
inthisdirectionintheCzechandSlovakRepublics.
Thesechambersmustbeinvolvedinthedecisionsabout
theallocationoffundsfromtheECaidprogrammes .
Inthiscontextthedevelopmentandmodernization of
domesticinfrastructuremustbeconsideredtobejust
asimportantasthecompatibility ,interlinkingand
interoperability ofinfrastructure inthecountriesof
CentralandEasternEuropeandbetweenthese
countriesandtheCommunity .5.2.Ifthisspecialchallengeandresponsibility isto
beaccepted—especiallyagainstthebackclothofthe
majorproblemsenunciatedabove—itmustberealized
thatthedifficultprocessofreforminCentraland
EasternEuropecannotbeengineeredforeverfromout­
sideorfromabove.Thechangesmustcomefromwithin
andfrombelow.Thiswillrequiretheparticipationof
unions,employers'associationsandallothersocial
interestgroups.Theseorganizationsmusthelptoshape
transportpolicy,justastheydointhecountriesof
WesternEurope.5.4.3.Aconsultativecommitteeofthetypedescribed
in5.4.1.isnotsufficient,however,toguaranteethe
adequateinvolvementofallinterestedcountriesin
multilateralagreementssuchasanall-Europeantrans­
portpolicy.ForthispurposethecountriesofCentral
andEasternEuropeshouldformajointconsultative
committeeamongthemselves .FollowingtheEastern
Bloc'scollapseitisunderstandable thattherearecon­
siderablecommunication andcooperationproblems.
Asaresultofthis'policyofisolation'andone-sided
westwardorientationtheeconomiesofmanynewly
independentcountries(suchastheUkraine)arenowin
direstraits.Consultations betweenthesecountriesare
necessarybecausetheyareallinacomparablebasic
situationandalsobecausetheyshouldbeweanedoff
theirrelianceontheWestandshouldstopengaging
inunnecessaryrivalry.Consultativemachinerywhich
bringstheformerEasternBloccountriestogether(and
whichmayundercertaincircumstances beconfinedto
specificregionsifthatisthepoliticalwill)isatleast
animportantinterimsolution,thoughperhapsnota
permanentone.5.3.Thedevelopmentofthesocialdialogueisbasi­
callyataskwhicheachStatemustperformindividually .
TheCommunityhasonlyverylimitedmeansforexer­
cisinganydirectinfluence.However,itcanplayakey
roleinensuringthatunions,employers'associations
andotherinterestgroupscanfulfiltheirtasksinthe
newmarketeconomies;thisitcandobytakingthese
organizations seriouslyasinterlocutorsataninter­
nationallevel,too,andprovidingthemwithaforum.
5.4.Itshouldgowithoutsayingthatallgovernments
involvethesocialpartnersandotherinterestgroupsin
transportpolicyandengageindialoguewiththemon
transportpolicymatters.InthecountriesofCentral
andEasternEurope,however,itisabsolutelyvital
forgovernmentstodothis.Thisinvolvementcanbe
achievedatseverallevels.
5.4.1.Furthertothecommentsmadeintheafore­
mentionedMasucci/PompenOpinion,theformationof5.4.4.Bothtypesofconsultationsareimportantfor
pan-European cooperation intransportpolicy.In
addition,thesecondall-Europeantransportconference
in1994willforthefirsttimegivetransportpolicy­

NoC352/28 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.12.93
makersandotherinterestedpartiesthechancetoprac­
ticewhattheyhavepreached.
TheEconomicandSocialCommitteethereforewel­
comestheconferenceorganizers'intentiontomakethe
social—aswellastheenvironmental —dimensions
oftransportpolicythetopicofdiscussionforoneof
thethreeworkinggroups.AccordingtotheCommittee
suchaworkinggroupshouldalsofocusonthefollow­
ingpoints:
—themainsocialissuesfacingapan-European trans­
portmarketandthetaskstobeperformedbytrans­
portpolicy;—thelaunchingofthesocio-economic dialogueat
(pan-)Europeanlevel,withspecialregardtothe
upheavalsinEasternEurope.Thisdialogueshould
reflecteachmode'sspecialrequirementsandbe
basedascloselyaspossibleonexistingconsultative
machinery;
—pan-European integratedblueprintsfortransport
andtheirtranslationintomeasuresandtasksfrom
thepointofviewofworkers,transportfirmsand
associationsrepresentingconsumerandenviron­
mentalinterests.
DoneatBrussels,20October1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN