NoC19/32 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
Opinionon:
—theproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)amendingRegulation (EEC)No3359/90
foranactionprogrammeinthefieldoftransportinfrastructure withaviewtothe
completionofanintegratedtransportmarketin1992,
—theproposalforaCouncilDecisiononthecreationofatrans-European roadnetwork,
and
—theproposalforaCouncilDecisiononthecreationofaEuropeaninlandwaterway
network
(93/C19/11
On11September1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle75oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposals.
TheSectionforTransportandCommunications ,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingthe
Committee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon18November1992.TheRapporteur
wasMrBonvicini .
Atits301stPlenarySession(meetingof24November1992),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeunanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
I.FOREWORD 1.4.ItwaspreciselyforthisreasonthattheMaas­
trichtTreatymadeamajorcommitmenttoahigh­
qualitytransportnetworkof'Communityinterest'that
wouldbecoordinatedandJinkedatEClevelandwould
meetthegrowingneedsofagrowingcontinent.1.1.TheCommission documentseekstodefine
trans-European transportnetworksforroadsand
inlandwaterwaysandtoinserttheseintoawider
intermodalplan.AnotherCommissiondocument
[COM(92)230final]dealswithcombinedtransport,
andtheCommissionintendsinthenearfuturetopre­
sentproposalsforrail,airandmaritimenetworks.All
transportmodeswillthusbecovered.1.4.1.Theestablishment ofaEuropeantransport
networkshouldcontributetowardstheefficiencyofthe
internalmarketbyguaranteeing 'sustainablemobility'
forpeopleandgoods.Communityactionmustthus
addressthreemainpoints:
—theclarityoftheplansfordevelopingthenetworks,
whichrequiresthedrawing-upofmasterplans;1.2.Thepresentdocumentstressesthepotentialdan­
gersfacingthetransportsectorthroughouttheCom­
munityasregards:
—safety;
—theenvironment ;
—congestion .—howgapsinnetworksaretobefilledin;
—thestrengthening ofthosesectionsandnetworks
whichcouldimpedethedevelopmentofpartofEC
territory.
1.4.2.Itshouldbenotedthatthegeneraloutlineof
thenetworksismerelyforguidance;itisuptothe
MemberStatestodeterminetheprecisedetailsand
time-scales (seepoint1.4.4below).1.3.ThestatisticscontainedintheCommission
documenthighlighttwomainpoints:
—adramaticincreaseintransport/traffic,withthe
lion'ssharegoingtoroadtransport;
—agrowingimbalancebetweentrendsintransport/
trafficandininfrastructure investment :investment
declinedfrom1,5%ofGrossNationalProduct
(GNP)in1975to1%in1990.TheCommitteerecommends theestablishment ofa
mechanismforconsultingtheMemberStates,inorder

25.1.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC19/33
tocoordinateprojectimplementingschedulesandavoid
bottlenecksordelaysinthecompletionofintra-EC
routes.3.2.ThepurposeoftheDecisionisthereforeto:
—buildmissinglinksinnationalnetworks;
—upgradeexistinglinks;
—makenetworks'inter-operable 'bystandardizing
theirdesign.1.5.TheinvolvementoftheMemberStateshasmade
itpossibletodefinenetworkplansforthemodesof
transportunderconsideration .
1.5.1.Priorityistobegiventolong-termobjectives
(tento20years),andtomedium-termprojectscovering
thedurationofthefinancialperspectives (fiveyears).3.3.Themapsappendedtotheproposalshowthe
outlineplanfortheroadnetworkalongwiththepri­
oritymeasuresproposedinArticle2.
3.4.Theplanforthenetworkcomprises :
—37000kmofroadlinks;
—including12000kmofhigh-qualityroadsand
motorways,tobebuiltinthenexttenyears;40%
ofthiswillbeinthefouroutlyingMemberStates,
whichwillseea70%increaseintheirnetworks,
from7000to12000km.1.6.Theimmediateobjectivesare:
—establishment bytheendof1993ofguidelinesfor
thedifferentmodesoftransport,includingmultimo­
daltransport;
—continuationandreinforcement ofthefinancing
measurestakensince1982;
—implementation ofmeasuresforthetechnicalhar­
monizationofthenetworks .
2.ThedraftRegulation3.5.TheCommunication alsoconsiderstrafficpol­
icy,stressingtheneedto:
—rationalizeexistingtraffic;
—encouragetheuseofothertransportmodes
(especiallyforgoods);
—debitusersdirectlyforthedirectandindirectcosts
actuallyincurredinusingtheinfrastructure .2.1.ThedraftRegulationisdesignedsimplyto
bridgethegapbetweentheexisting1990-1992pro­
grammeandthenewTreaty.
4.Inlandwaterways2.2.Itgiveslegalforcetotheprincipleslaiddown
intheCommunication .Ofparticularimportanceis
Article3,settingoutthepriorityprojectswhichareto
beeligibleforECfinancialsupportoncertaincon­
ditions. 4.1.TheCommissionemphasizestheroleofinland
waterwaysintakingtheburdenoffroadandrailtrans­
port.Itaimstomakethismodemoreefficientin
economictermsbyeliminatingbottlenecksandbuilding
missinglinks. 2.3.Itshouldbenotedthatthegeneralplanisdiv­
idedintotwostages:atransitionalstagespanning1993,
followedbythedefinitivelaunchoncethenewTreaty
hasenteredintoforceandthefinancingplanhasbeen
approved.
3.Roadinfrastructure4.2.Between1984and1989,waterways'shareof
surfacegoodstransportfellfrom12,5%to9%.The
Community'spromotionofwaterwaysasacombined
modeisaparticularlyworthwhileaimbecauseoftheir:
—lowcosts;
—limitedimpactontheenvironment ;
—lowenergyconsumption ;
—largesparecapacity,intermsofinfrastructure and
transportmaterial.3.1.Stressislaidontheeconomicandsocialroleof
high-qualityroadinfrastructure fortheoperationof
theinternalmarket,anditsimportanceforothermodes.
Theplanthusgraduallytendstowardsamultimodal
transportsystem.

NoC19/34 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
technicalandfinancialfeasibilitystudieswhichhigh­
lighttwokeyaspects:
—theflowofpeopleandgoodsaccordingtoorigin
anddestination ;4.2.1.Evenso,itshouldbenotedthatjustthree
countriesaccountforaround90%ofwaterwaytraffic.
4.2.2.Theblueprintfocusesonthedevelopmentof
fourtransportaxesonthemainEuropeanwaterways :
—east-west ;
—north-south ;
—south-east;
—Rhine-Rhone .—knowledgeoftheplansandcapacityofallthe
transportmodespotentiallyinterestedinaparticu­
lartransportcatchmentarea,soastoavoidcostly
andunproductiveduplication .Atallevents,no
encouragement shouldbegiventothedevelopment
ofnetworksthatarepromptedsolelybylocalloyalt­
iesorconsiderations ofprestige.
4.3.Inthissectortoo,particularattentionisgiven
totwoaspects:
—thelinksbetweenMemberStates,tomakethenet­
workmore'European';
—theimplementation ofageneraltransportpolicy.1.4.2.Secondly,theneedformodern,high-quality ,
carefully-located infrastructure networks.Industry,
agricultureandtheservicesectorcannotoperatewith­
outinfrastructure systems:integratednetworksmust
bebuilttocaterfortheinnovationandinternationaliza­
tionoftheeconomy.
II.THECOMMITTEE 'SCOMMENTS
Theconstructionofamodernnetworkcallsforsys­
tems-basedplanning.Themainproblemstobesolved
arethusintegrationbetweensystemsandhenceinter­
modalitybetweendifferenttransportmodes.1.1.TheplanputforwardbytheCommission,com­
plexthoughitis,isonthewholetobewelcomed,not
leastinviewoftheundoubteddifficultieswhichthe
Commissionfacedinpreparingit.
1.4.3.Thirdly,vastresourceswillbeneededto
developthenetworks.Newsourcesofpublicandpri­
vatefinancewillhavetobeidentifiedandtapped.A
balancemustbestruckbetweenusertariffsandthe
actualcostoftheservice,asotherwisecapitalcould
notbeinvestedprofitably.1.2.Thegrowthintransport/traffichighlightedin
theCommission'sanalysisinevitablygivesseriouscause
forconcernandisfraughtwithdangeronthefollowing
counts:
—A.safety;
—B.congestion;
—C.qualityoflife(environment);
—D.imbalancesbetweenthedifferentmodes;
—E.energyconsumption .
1.3.Thecurrentinfrastructure networkisinsuf­
ficient.Theshortfallintransportinfrastructurealone
isestimatedataboutECU4000millionperyear.If
radicalactionisnottaken,thisfigurewilltrebleover
thenext20years.1.4.4.Tothisend,authorizationproceduresanddis­
bursementmechanismsmustbespeededup.The
approvalofaidforinfrastructure iscontingentona
wholeseriesofchecks.Caremustbetakentoavoid
caseswherethetake-upoffundsremainsminimal
monthsaftertheyhavebeencommitted.Inshort,com­
plexaidschemescallforsmoothandefficientrelations
betweentheauthoritiesandoperators.
1.4.5.TheCommitteestressestheimplicationsand
problemswhichthepoolingofpublicandprivatecapi­
talcouldinvolve.Withoutprejudicetotheresponsibilit­
iesoftheCommunityandtheMemberStates,the
operational,financialandadministrative aspectsmust
beclear.Thisisnecessaryinordertoensurethata
perfectlysoundgeneralplanisnotthwartedinits
practicalimplementation .1.4.Afewpointsneedstressinghere:
1.4.1.Firstly,theneedforprecise,circumstantiated

25.1.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC19/35
Afterasteadyrise,investmentfellbackin1989toits
1975levels,despitetheobviousincreasesintraffic.
TheinitialestimatesforamasterplanofEuropeanroad
networkssuggestthatECU120thousandmillionare
neededfortheperiod1992to2002.
Thereisthusaseriousimbalancebetweengrowing
transportdemandandthepercentageofinvestment
allocatedtoinfrastructure .1.5.TheCommissionhighlightsthreeareasfor
investment :
—developmentofcombinedtransport;
—creation,developmentandupgradingofinfrastruc­
turenetworksforalltransportmodes.Thismust
besupportedbymajoreffortsinsuchfieldsas
telematics,intelligentroad-vehiclesystemsandsign­
posting.AlltheseareasshouldreceiveCommunity
supportviasuchinstrumentsasDrive.Erticocould
alsobeparticularlyusefulhere.SpecificCom­
missionprojectssuchasCombicom-Frame (for
dangerousgoods)andMetafora-IFMS arealsoof
assistance;1.7.Thepercentagebreakdownoffundsseemsright,
andisinkeepingwiththegeneralthinkingofthe
Communications .Theonevaguepointishowand
whencethefundsaretobeobtained.
—paymentof'wearandtear'costsbytheuser.
1.5.1.Suchmeasuresmustbewelcomedifabalanced
development istobesecuredforfuturegenerations .
Twocloselyinterconnected pointsneedtobemade
here:1.7.1.Vastfundingwillbeneededandcannotcome
outofthepublicpurse:situationshavechanged,and
statebudgetsareinseriousdeficit.
Responsibilities mustbeclarifiedandcoordinated ,to
preventroadusersfrombeingpenalizedunfairly.
Themainaspectsoftheproblemare:A.Themovetowardsalternativeand/orcomplemen­
tarymodesmustrespecttheprinciple—repeatedly
espousedbybothCommissionandCouncil—of
freedomofchoice.Adirigisteapproachisoutof
thequestion,asanyattempttopresetquotasfor
differentmodeswouldbecompletelyineffective.—taxation(VAT,excisedutiesonfuels,etc.);
B.Thecommondenominatorofalltransportmodes
mustbethatinfrastructure costsarechargedequ­
ally.TheCommissionhasnotyetmanagedtoarrive
atanunambiguoussetofrules.
1.6.TheCommitteehasnoparticularcriticisms
aboutthestrictlytechnicalaspects,partlybecauseit
cannotchecktheaccuracyofthefiguresanddrafts,
whichwereproducedbyhigh-levelworkingparties.—useofinfrastructure (theuserpays);
—environmentprotection (thepolluterpays).
TheCommunityshouldfocusontwoelementsfor
overcomingthe'political'risksoftransnationalaction:
—thedeclarationofEuropeaninterest,tocertifythat
theworksfitintotheframeworklaiddownbythe
Community ;
—immediatecontributionstofeasibilitystudies.
1.7.2.Greateremphasisshouldbeplacedontwo
vitalpreconditionsforthewholeundertaking :
—self-financing oftheworks,withdirectcontri­
butionsfromusers;
—encouragement forintegrationofthenetworks,to
actasacatalystforprivatefinance,whichrequires
reliableimplementation schedules.
Acertainnumberofmajorroadinfrastructureprojects
(suchasbridgesandtunnels)havebeenfinanced
byprivatecapital.TheseincludetheMontBlanc,1.6.1.HencetheCommitteeisunabletocomment
ontheplans'choiceofaxes.However,duringitsdis­
cussionsdoubtswereraisedaboutthechoiceofroutes,
astherewasconcernthatnotalloftheMemberStates'
requestshadbeenacceptedbytheCommission .
1.6.2.TheCommission'srecentdocumentonTrans­
EuropeanNetworks(VI/B08/92)givesafewfigures.
55%oftheECU40thousandmillionspenteveryyear
inEuropegoesonthebuildingofnewroads.

NoC19/36 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 25.1.93
St.BernardandPyreneestunnels,thetunnelunderthe
Scheldt,theTancavillebridge,theDartfordcrossing
andthebridgeovertheLiffeyinDublin.Otherschemes
arealsounderwayorinthepipelineintheUKand
France.
Thisshowsthatcapitalcanbeattractedforreliable
investments ,andthatuserstooarereadytofinance
infrastructure .
1.7.3.TheCommunitymustbeinventiveandshould
assessthefeasibilityofusing'authorities'tolookaftertheconstructionandadministration ofmajorinfra­
structurewhichthenpaysforotherinfrastructure .
1.8.Inconclusion,theCommitteesupportstheCom­
missionproposalsandnotesthattheyarepartofa
broaderintermodaltransportpolicythatcanonlybe
fullyeffectiveoncethenetworksforalltransport
modes—includingmaritimetransportandinfrastruc­
ture—havebeendealtwith.TheCommitteehopesto
havethechancetogiveitsviewsonthisintermodal
policy,whichwillobviouslybeincludedintheCom­
mission'sforthcomingwhitepaper.
DoneatBrussels,24November1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
Opinionon:
—theproposalforaCouncilDirectiveontheFrequencyBandstobedesignatedforthe
coordinatedintroductionofRoad-Transport TelematicSystems(RTTS)intheCom­
munityincludingRoadInformationandRoute-Guidance Systems,and
—theproposalforaCouncilDirectiveonCommonFrequencyBandstobedesignatedfor
thecoordinatedintroductionoftheTerrestrialFlight-Telecommunications System(TFTS)
intheCommunity(*)
(93/C19/12
On13August1992and18August1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicand
SocialCommitteeunderArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanCommunity
ontheabovementioned proposals.
TheSectionforTransportandCommunications whichwasresponsibleforpreparingthe
Committee'sworkonthesubjectadopteditsOpinionon18November1992.TheRapporteur
wasMrBell.
Atits301stPlenarySession(meetingof24November1992)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
(RTTS)intheCommunityincludingRoadInformation
andRoute-Guidance Systems,andtheharmonization of
frequenciesforanAeronauticalPublicCorrespondence
SystemthroughoutEuropemoregenerallyknownasthe
TerrestrialFlight-Telecommunications System(TFTS).1.Introduction
1.1.Theseproposalsdealwiththeharmonization of
frequenciesforRoad-Transport TelematicSystems
(!)OJNoC222,29.8.1992,p.10.