A4-0334/96

Resolution on the pan-European transport policy

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the 'Prague Declaration' on a pan-European transport policy adopted by the First Pan-European Transport Conference on 31 October 1991,

- having regard to the 'Crete Declaration' on the need for the further development of the pan-European transport policy adopted by the Second Pan- European Transport Conference on 16 March 1994,

- having regard to the outcome of the joint meeting on 4 June 1996 of its Committee on Transport and Tourism, representatives of the relevant committees of the parliaments of 17 Central and Eastern European countries and the Steering Committee of the Pan-European Transport Conferences and the final declaration adopted at that meeting,

- having regard to the Economic and Social Committee's own-initiative opinion of 25 April 1996 on the 'Pan-European transport conference and social dialogue - from Crete to Helsinki' ((OJ C 204, 15.7.1996, p. 96.)),

- having regard to its resolutions of

- 12 June 1992 on action to be taken in respect of an All-European Transport Policy ((OJ C 176, 13.7.1992, p. 257.)),

- 9 February 1993 on further steps towards an all-European Transport Policy - measures following the first European Transport Conference ((OJ C 72, 15.3.1993, p. 51.)),

- 11 March 1994 on further steps towards an all-European transport policy - measures following the first European Transport Conference ((OJ C 91, 28.3.1994, p. 308.)),

- 17 April 1996 on the White Paper: 'Preparing the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe for integration into the internal market of the Union' ((OJ C 141, 13.5.1996, p. 135.)),

- having regard to the European Union's Europe Agreements with Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania and the agreement initialled with Slovenia,

- having regard to the European Union's financial cooperation with the Central and Eastern European countries under the PHARE and TACIS programmes,

- having regard to the outcome of the regional and sectoral conferences held since the Second Pan-European Transport Conference,

- having regard to the outcome of the work of the Steering Committee of the Pan-European Transport Conferences,

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A4-0334/96),

A. whereas the First Pan-European Transport Conference, held in Prague in October 1991, did a great deal to stimulate a marked improvement in cooperation in the transport policy field between the European Community, the intergovernmental organizations active in this field and the European countries,

B. whereas the Second Pan-European Transport Conference, held in Crete from 14 to 16 March 1994, was a great success. It was attended by more than 700 representatives of 42 European countries, the non-European Mediterranean countries and the world's leading industrialized countries. It should be emphasized that, besides ministers and government representatives, parliamentarians from all the European countries were present. Many interest groups in the transport sector and transport industry were also represented,

C. whereas the three working groups set up by the Conference considered 'transport and market economy', 'transport infrastructure and financing' and 'horizon 2000' (intermodal transport, new technologies, safety and environmental protection) ((PE 209.174, Summary record of the Second Pan-European Transport Conference, Crete, 14-16 March 1994. )),

D. whereas in its final declaration the Second Pan-European Transport Conference defined the principles governing a Europe-wide transport policy as follows:

1. Transport policy should be organized on the basis of social market economy and fair competition.

2. The various modes of transport should be coordinated and their respective advantages exploited.

3. Public transport, rail transport, coastal and inland shipping and combined transport should be promoted.

4. Convergence of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action should be sought, with account taken of common European minimum social, energy and environmental requirements; border-crossing should be made easier; technical compatibility should be ensured.

5. There should be coordinated planning to ensure Europe-wide and integrated transport infrastructure.

and agreed on the following approach to further work on framing a pan- European transport policy:

1. Social market economy and fair competition; harmonization of conditions of competition and progressive opening of markets; social dialogue in the context of pan-European cooperation on transport policy;

2. Adjustment of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action; coordination and harmonization throughout Europe; maximum compatibility when technical innovations are introduced; progressive adjustment of social provisions; adjustment of charges for the use of the various modes of transport at least to cover infrastructure costs; increasing account to be taken of external cost factors; harmonization of environmental protection and safety standards at the highest European level of protection;

3. Facilitation of border-crossing; earliest possible implementation; adjustment of checking procedures, with efficiency and non-obstruction as the criteria;

4. Development and completion of Europe-wide transport networks, with account taken of regional and intermodal coordination; cooperation in identifying target regions and projects;

5. Cooperation in funding, with private sources also tapped;

6. Cooperation in data collection and scientific advice;

E. whereas the Crete Declaration is not binding in international law but, as a political self-commitment, it will contribute to the early coordination of the principles, aims and measures of a future pan-European transport policy,

F. whereas at the Crete Conference the European Commission, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) also agreed on nine priority transport corridors as extensions of the trans-European networks into the Central and Eastern European region. Sweden, Finland and Russia have since proposed that the Euro-Arctic corridor (rail/road/sea transport) should be added to the list,

G. whereas the Crete Conference and the contents of the subsequent final declaration were prepared at numerous meetings of the Steering Committee of the Pan-European Transport Conferences, which continued its work after the Crete Conference,

H. whereas as after the Prague Conference, the debate at the Crete Conference was deepened and widened at many intermediate regional and sectoral conferences. The Crete Declaration increasingly forms a point of departure and a common point of reference for pan-European cooperation in the transport sector. In preparation for the Third Pan-European Transport Conference the Steering Committee has selected the intermediate conferences that are explicitly to be regarded as preparatory conferences. The following list reflects the latest stage reached in the debate:

IRU Conference (road transport), Budapest, 23-25 May 1996

Barents Sea Conference, Archangelsk, Russia, 10 September 1996 (follow-up conference to the Alta Conference, Norway, September 1993)

Mediterranean Conference: Lisbon 23/24 January 1997

Alpine Conference, South Tyrol/Italy: Merano/Meran, 3/4 March 1997

Railway Conference, Warsaw, 6 March 1997

Central European Initiative, Prague, Czech Republic, 20/21 March 1997

Third Conference of the Baltic Sea Litoral States followed by the ECMT Conference: Berlin 21-22 April 1997

Black Sea Conference: Kiev, April/May 1997

Transport and Environment Conference: UN/ECE, Vienna - 12/14 November 1997,

I. whereas following the submission of the Commission's White Paper on the future development of the common transport policy and of its detailed action plan for the common transport policy 1995-2000, as requested by the European Parliament, the latter commented at length on transport policy issues and defined its objectives in its resolutions of 18 January 1994 on the future development of the common transport policy and 6 June 1996 on the common transport policy action programme 1995-2000 ((OJ C 44, 14.2.1994, p. 53 and OJ C 181, 24.6.1996, p. 21.)). Parliament regards the principles of a transport policy capable of meeting future challenges as being:

- sustainable mobility, backed up by the gradual but steady integration of networks, both in infrastructural and commercial terms, via constant monitoring of new scenarios as they emerge. This monitoring process should be oriented in particular towards upgrading existing routes and completing major missing links by identifying 'multimodal corridors', and harmonizing standards, environmental requirements and safety, environmental protection and energy conservation measures, with a view to maintaining and guaranteeing the free movement of persons and goods as priority objectives;

- the drawing up of guidelines - highlighting the need for high-quality amenities - for the achievement of intermodality, with particular emphasis on projects involving railways, public transport services, short sea shipping and waterways, so that network integration can proceed in the general context of restoring the balance between the various modes of transport;

- the establishment of trans-European networks by means of Community planning aimed at integrating the various modes of transport on the basis of coordinated standards and upgrading criteria, while taking into account the specific interests of the Member States and the strategic implications of their respective geographic location for the transport sector in the context of the single market;

- harmonization in the areas of social standards and safety,

J. whereas as part of the European Union's external relations, the pan-European transport policy will continue to be largely determined by the Union's agreements with associated countries, which define transport policy objectives and support measures for the development and expansion of infrastructure. In 1995 Europe Agreements with Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania and the Slovak Republic entered into force, agreements were concluded with the Baltic States, and an agreement with Slovenia was initialled. As a complement to the agreements, the Commission presented in its White Paper: 'Preparing the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe for integration into the internal market of the Union' a phased plan for legal and economic convergence and integration, which also deals at length with arrangements in the transport sector (COM(95)0163). A mandate authorizing the Commission to open negotiations in the air transport sector between the European Communities and Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia was adopted by the Council, and guidelines on the negotiation of an agreement with Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on transit traffic to Greece were adopted.

In 1995 the Commission also submitted a common transport policy action programme for the period 1995-2000, prompted not least by the European Parliament's appeal in its abovementioned resolution on the future development of the Common Transport Policy. In this action programme it refers to the European Union's external relations as a specific area of responsibility along with quality improvement (system development, environment, safety) and the single market (market structure, costs, social dimension), although the communication on trans-European networks and third countries promised for 1995 is still awaited. One of the main objectives in the external relations sphere described by the action programme is the creation of equal conditions of competition to replace bilateral transport agreements,

K. whereas for the extension of trans-European networks into third countries the Commission drew up a programme which contained some modifications compared with the agreements reached in Crete and which - despite major differences of opinion on priorities for TENs - was also accepted by the European Parliament in its opinion of 13 December 1995, with the addition of the Elbe/Vltava project (inland waterway - improved navigability from the German border to Prague). The following projects are proposed ((OJ C 17, 22.1.1996, p. 58.)):

- Berlin-Warsaw-Minsk-Moscow (railway/road)

- Dresden-Prague (rail/road)

- Nuremberg-Prague (road)

- fixed link across the Danube (rail/road) between Bulgaria and Romania

- Helsinki-St Petersburg-Moscow (rail/road)

- Trieste-Ljubljana-Budapest-Lvov-Kiev (rail/road)

- Baltic Sea telematic platform

Cooperation and financing are already well advanced where the Berlin/Moscow, Helsinki/Moscow and Trieste/Kiev corridors are concerned, a Memorandum of Understanding on the Berlin/Moscow corridor having been concluded by the countries involved; a particular problem yet to be solved for all the routes is that of financing,

L. whereas on 28 September 1995 a meeting of the Transport Ministers of the European Union and nine Central and Eastern European countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) was held. At this first joint conference the approximation of legislation and standards, the development of infrastructure, the integration of the CEECs into the trans-European transport networks and the establishment of an integrated transport system embracing the EU and the CEECs were discussed. Although no practical results were achieved, provision was made for the associated countries to be more closely involved in Community measures,

M. whereas in the final declaration of the Euro-Mediterranean Conference held in Barcelona on 27 and 28 November 1995 the European Union and the Mediterranean countries represented emphasized the importance of improved infrastructure and communications. The principles of international maritime law should be respected and, in particular, the freedom to provide services in the international transport of freight should be guaranteed. After two meetings of the Transport Ministers of the western Mediterranean countries in 1995, the Mediterranean Waterborne Transport Working Group adopted a multiannual programme, which refers to the following objectives for cooperation:

- development of an efficient trans-Mediterranean multimodal combined sea and air transport system, including the modernization of port installations and airports,

- simplification of procedures,

- improvement of safety measures,

- harmonization of environmental standards,

- development of East-West land links on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean,

- connection of the Mediterranean transport networks to the TENs, with interoperability as the goal,

N. whereas in 1994, after the Crete Conference, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) considered priorities and further work plans and, following on directly from the recommendations in the Conference declaration, saw priority tasks primarily in four areas, which were not least intended to improve the integration of the new Member States ((ECMT, 41st Annual Report 1994, Paris 1995.)):

- observation and analysis of trends in transport,

- observation and analysis of infrastructure projects,

- financing of investment in transport,

- international transport and its implications for environmentally sensitive areas.

The ECMT also paid particular attention to the problems connected with border-crossing points and coastal shipping,

O. whereas at its meeting in January 1995 the Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) reviewed its programme of work in the light of the conclusions drawn and recommendations made at the Crete Conference. The UN-ECE agreements on transport, the AGR, AGC and AGTC, were to be supplemented to allow for the expansion of infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe, and the implementation of the standards defined in these agreements was to be closely monitored. Work on linking the former Soviet Asian republics to the European networks was also to be encouraged, with account taken of the UN-ECE agreements. The UN-ECE also forged a close link between its work on the agreement on inland waterways (AGN) and the objectives of a pan-European transport policy defined in Prague and Crete,

P. whereas in its abovementioned own-initiative opinion of 25 April 1996 on the 'Pan-European transport conference and social dialogue - from Crete to Helsinki', the Economic and Social Committee evaluates the development of the consultative machinery provided for in the Crete Declaration for promoting social dialogue in pan-European cooperation on transport policy. The Economic and Social Committee sees the absence of structures for the organized representation of social interest groups in the Central and Eastern European countries currently undergoing reform as one of the main obstacles to finding appropriate partners for bilateral and multilateral discussions. Only a few European associations have so far been established, and only the trade unions have a pan-sectoral European transport organization. The Economic and Social Committee proposes that consultative bodies should be formed for the negotiations on the association agreements, maintaining that a rigid structure is not vital, since different social dialogue models co-exist in the European Union without causing any problems. The Economic and Social Committee hopes that the Third Pan-European Transport Conference will lead to

- progress through the closing of gaps in the regulations governing fair competition, approaches to solving the problem of funding transport projects, approaches to improving social legislation, transport safety and environmental protection and an integrated approach to improving quality and efficiency in all means of transport;

- transparency through closer cooperation between states and at parliamentary level, with socio-economic interest groups more closely involved;

- the introduction of flexible mechanisms for holding mandatory consultations with employers' and trade associations, environmental and consumer organizations and trade unions when transport policy decisions are taken as part of the structured dialogue provided for in the agreements, when transnational transport projects are implemented and when an integrated pan-European transport policy is formulated,

Q. whereas on 4 June 1996 the European Parliament and the Steering Committee of the Pan-European Transport Conferences jointly organized a meeting of Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism and representatives of 17 Parliaments of Central and Eastern European countries involved in the establishment of trans-European networks. The participants in this meeting

- stressed the importance of the structured dialogue on transport policy among the parliamentarians;

- stressed the need for a common approach to developing an integrated transport system in order to achieve sustainable mobility for persons and goods and to protect the environment and improve safety;

- stressed the importance of solving border-crossing problems;

- gave priority to the coordinated development of infrastructure to cope with current and projected traffic flows;

- considered that Community assistance should develop into an enhanced financial instrument with improved possibilities so that the problem of financing infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe might be solved;

- considered that a set of agreed principles for transport policy based on the Crete Declaration should be submitted to the Third Pan-European Transport Conference,

R. whereas after the Crete Conference the Steering Committee of the Pan- European Transport Conferences met at two-monthly intervals, and since the beginning of 1996 it has been meeting every month to coordinate the work of the intermediate conferences and of the institutions, intergovernmental organizations and other bodies involved. It forms a constructive and viable basis for monitoring, preparatory and coordinating measures relating to the Pan-European Transport Conferences. The Steering Committee has established a concept for the agenda and structure of the Third Pan-European Transport Conference,

S. whereas the Steering Committee's proposal covers the following aspects:

1. Follow-up to the Second Pan-European Transport Conference: from Crete to Helsinki

1. 1 Developments in terms of transport legislation, market and socio- economic structures and infrastructures

1. 2 Transport and social aspects

1. 3 Border crossing problems

1. 4 Report/input of the regional and sectoral conferences

2. Trans-European networks

2. 1 Further development; planning for corridors up-date/possible revision

2. 2 Infrastructure and financing; promotion of public/private partnerships

2. 3 Transport pricing and charging

2. 4 Environment protection

2. 5 Transport safety

3. Intelligent use of transport systems

3. 1 Traffic management and organisational aspects

3. 2 Regulatory and institutional changes

3. 3 Research and development

3. 4 Telematics applications in the various modes of transport

3. 5 Transport means of the future,

1. Stands firmly by the objectives defined and instruments proposed in the Prague and Crete Declarations as the basis for further progress towards an integrated pan-European transport concept;

2. Welcomes the holding of intermediate regional and sectoral conferences and notes with satisfaction that it was involved in these conferences;

3. Calls for the continuation of the dialogue between its Committee on Transport and Tourism and the committees of the parliaments of the Central and Eastern European countries responsible for transport;

4. Considers it essential for a meeting to be held with representatives of the transport committees of the national parliaments of the European Union's Member States to enable important objectives for the Helsinki Conference to be discussed and agreed;

5. Notes with satisfaction that the texts drawn up at the intermediate conferences take up and develop further the principles and basic ideas set out in the Prague and Crete Declarations on the various aspects considered at those conferences;

6. Attaches particular importance to the development of integrative consultative mechanisms for the two sides of industry as a means of achieving sustainable development in the creation of market economy structures, of fair competition in the transport sector and also of social structures;

7. Calls on the Commission to convene jointly with the European Parliament and in cooperation with the current Council Presidency of the European Union, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe a Third Pan-European Transport Conference from 23 to 25 June 1997;

8. Proposes that this conference should be held in Helsinki, Finland, and that the invitation already issued by the Finnish Government should be accepted;

9. Welcomes the Steering Committee's proposal that the multi-faceted role of the conference as a venue for exchanges of view and debate, as a driving force and mobilizing political factor of the pan-European transport policy and not least as a forum for non-governmental organizations and a broad, interested public should be strengthened in Helsinki by an exhibition demonstrating, in particular, the growing importance of modern technologies for transport and the role of telematics;

10. Welcomes the industry's participation in the preparatory work and its cooperation in the Steering Committee;

11. Calls on the institutions and organizing bodies and on the appropriate agencies of the host country to instruct their organs and services to prepare the Third Conference carefully by cooperating in the informal Steering Committee of the Pan-European Transport Conferences and, in so doing,

(a) to take the Prague Conference (resolution of 24 January 1991) ((OJ C 48, 25.2.1991, p. 167.)) and the Crete Conference (abovementioned resolution of 11 March 1994) as the basis for the list of participants, which should include representatives of the governments and parliaments of all European countries recognized by the Community, all supra- and international governmental organizations whose terms of reference include European transport policy and the most important non-governmental organizations and associations with an interest; representatives of the Mediterranean and Black Sea countries and of the world's leading industrialized nations and representatives of the industry should also be invited to attend as observers ((They should have the right to speak at working group meetings, but have no say in the agenda or the wording of the final declaration.));

(b) to lay the physical foundations for the success of the Conference, using the resources made available to the Commission by Parliament in Article B7-840 of the 1997 budget and obtaining contributions from the co-organizers;

(c) to draw up the programme and final agenda for the Conference, which should comprise an opening ceremony, two plenary sittings, during which several working groups should meet to discuss topical aspects of pan- European and regional cooperation on transport policy, and a final sitting for the discussion and adoption of the final declaration;

(d) to draft a declaration on the present state and further development of the pan-European transport policy to which those present at the Conference will in all likelihood subscribe and to submit it for examination to the participating institutions and organizations by the procedures they consider appropriate;

12. Encourages those attending the Third Pan-European Transport Conference to develop mechanisms and institutional approaches that make all available information needed for a sound policy accessible to all concerned, including the two sides of industry, so as to achieve optimum transparency in the development of an effective pan-European transport policy;

13. Suggests that the Third Pan-European Transport Conference should not only follow on from the preparatory work done in Prague and Crete and review the implementation of the decisions taken at those two conferences, but also draw attention to the problem areas in which there will be a particular need in coming years for efforts to be made and initiatives to be taken in the transport policy sphere and that the structure of the Conference should therefore focus on the substantive objectives of the conceptual development and intelligent use of the TENs and on the questions of transport safety, the relationship between transport and the environment and the financing of infrastructure by having these aspects considered by three special working groups to which rapporteurs from the European Parliament, the Commission and the other participating organizations and institutions submit discussion papers;

14. Acknowledges the importance of revising the corridor scheme presented in Crete and emphasizes its particular interest in references to and the inclusion of two geographical regions not mentioned in the first list, and especially the Euro-Arctic corridor in North-Eastern Europe (Sweden, Finland and Russia) and the necessary multimodal transport links in the former Yugoslavia;

15. Hopes for the development of ever-closer coordination with the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries -along the lines of the 'structured dialogue' with the CEECs - in the field of transport and trans- European networks so that, by identifying solutions and multimodal corridors extending the trans-European networks towards Asia and the Middle East, a framework can be established for those countries' infrastructural and financial needs ;hopes, moreover, for the establishment of coordination of the kind referred to with the ACP countries to identify probable extensions of the trans-European networks into Africa and examine those countries' specific transport requirements;

16. Is confident that the draft final declaration to be drawn up will form a satisfactory basis for the deliberations at the Conference and authorizes its President - or his representatives - to approve in principle a Third Pan-European Transport Conference declaration drawn up on this basis on the European Parliament's behalf;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution and the report of its committee to the Council, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the governments and parliaments of the countries invited to the Conference.