Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the 'Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Intermodality and intermodal freight transport in the European Union - A systems approach to freight transport. Strategies and actions to enhance efficiency, services and sustainability'
Date: 1999-03-11
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: carriage of goods, combined transport

14.7.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 198/21

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the
Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the
Regions — Intermodality and intermodal freight transport in the European Union — A systems
approach to freight transport. Strategies and actions to enhance efficiency, services and
sustainability’

(1999/C 198/05)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Intermodality and intermodal
freight transport in the European Union — A systems approach to freight transport. Strategies and
actions to enhance efficiency, services and sustainability (COM(97) 243 final);

having regard to the decision taken by the Commission on 5 June 1997, under the first paragraph of
Article 198c of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee of the
Regions on the matter;

having regard to the decision of its bureau on 15 July 1998 to direct Commission 3 for Trans-European
Networks, Transport and Information Society to draw up the relevant opinion;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 398/98 rev. 1) adopted by Commission 3 on 22 January 1999
(rapporteur: Mr Lanzuela Marina),

unanimously adopted the following opinion at its 28th plenary session on 10 and 11 March 1999
(meeting of 11 March).

1.

Introduction

2. General comments

An efficient transport system is an essential prerequisite

1.1.
for the European Union’s competitiveness.

1.2.
European freight transport, which has grown by 70 %
since 1970, is set to continue growing according to projections
of increases in international trade, the possible extension of
the Union to the central and eastern European countries and
enhanced cooperation with the Mediterranean countries.

1.3.
This increase cannot and must not be borne by road
transport alone. In order to achieve socio-economically and
environmentally sustainable growth, the efficient and balanced
use of existing capacities throughout the European transport
system, boosting use of all modes, is essential.

1.4.
Intermodality is a basic strategic tool for the optimum
use of the different modes of transport, enabling a systems
approach to transport and offering transport services as a
mode-independent door-to-door connection.

The Committee of the Regions agrees with the Com-
2.1.
mission that freight transport by road increasingly appears as
a source of environmental and social costs to citizens; but at
the same time the Committee would stress that transport in
general, and freight transport in particular, is a factor which
life, employment and company
is essential
competitiveness and, consequently, a source of regional devel-
opment.

to quality of

2.2.
Transport infrastructures are a prerequisite for econ-
omic development as they can generate major structural
savings, depending on the territorial and economic character-
istics of each area. The European Commission must therefore
strive to remove restrictions on interchange in order to ensure
more effective integration of the Member States and, more
specifically, of cross-border regions. By facilitating movement
of goods and persons, these regions can become focal points
for European-level competitiveness, and a step will have been
taken towards the goal of a regional balance, encouraging the
creation of robust urban systems.

1.5.
In order to bring intermodality into general use, the
main obstacles have been identified and basic strategies and
key elements for its development have been laid down. These
are analysed below.

European territorial

2.3.
strategy is based on comp-
lementarity of infrastructure, regional and sectoral policies.
The COR believes that forging efficient links between European
regions and localities is one of the keys to improving the
European economy’s competitiveness.

C 198/22

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

14.7.1999

2.4.
The Committee of the Regions agrees with the Com-
mission on the need to alter the present structure of freight
transport. The current system, which is in practice road-based,
is unsustainable from the energy and environmental points of
view, and in terms of quality of life.

2.5.
An economic development model, which is sustainable
in the long-term and is based on more competitive local
production systems and improved access to and connections
between urban and other areas, needs to be introduced. A
package of coordinated priority investment, based on a system
of transport and communications axes connecting different
areas, is a prerequisite for this.

2.6.
The Committee of the Regions looks with favour upon
a system using different modes of transport in accordance with
the definition of intermodality given by the Commission (1),
but at the same time would emphasize, in the interests of
economic rationality, that within the intermodal chain, priority
use of the most environment-friendly modes — rail, inland
waterways or sea — must be encouraged and road use
specifically limited, in keeping with Directive 92/106/EEC.

2.7.
It is a matter of concern that while 50 % of tonnage/km
effected in the European Union involves journeys of more
than 150 km, rail’s market share continues to decline, falling
from 32 to 15 % between 1979 and 1995.

In the Committee’s view, it is most important not only
2.8.
that integration of different modes takes place in terms of
infrastructure and other physical components, but that special
attention is also given to integrating operations and services,
as well as regulatory provisions, at national and local as well
as Community level.

2.9.
Against a backdrop of economic globalization and EU
consolidation, spatial structuring is more than ever one of the
most urgent challenges facing European territorial strategy.
For this reason, the major structural networks across Europe’s
regions have become a benchmark of development.

2.10.
This major strategic objective must, however, be tied
in with others which support it in spatial terms. Firstly,
territorial integration and filling the gaps left by the rather
loose fabric of major infrastructures both demand public
action to plug local and regional units into major networks.
Moreover,
infrastructure efficacy and effectiveness require
integrating all the modes existing in localities and regions.
By the same token, improved competitiveness depends on
complementarity of transport and communications networks.

(1) Point 15 of the communication.

2.11.
The Committee of the Regions would also emphasize
the huge effort which the various public authorities will need
to make if transport users themselves are to decide the optimal
use of the different transport modes, as urged by point 17 of
the communication. In the fiercely competitive environment
in which freight transport operates, users will choose the
economically cheapest mode of transport: in most cases this
continues to be road transport. As pointed out at the meeting
of spatial planning ministers in Glasgow on 8 June 1998,
under market conditions only natural barriers such as the
North Sea, the Baltic or the Alps can make combined transport
competitive in comparison with road transport.

3. Specific comments

3.1. Logistics: the complexity of demand

The Committee of

3.1.1.
the Regions agrees with the
Commission that freight transport is a derived demand and
has to meet
increasing quality requirements in terms of
flexibility, speed and reliability by adjusting to the complexity
of demand. Despite this, freight transport’s impact on society (2)
is so great that rules are needed to ensure that not only the
market costs, but also the social costs, of the mode of transport
used are taken into consideration.

3.1.2.
The Committee is aware of the complexity of the
logistical chains involved in freight distribution, driven by the
changes in industrial processes over the last ten years and the
large number of operators involved in the overall process,
together with the growing importance of transport services.
Nevertheless, the Committee believes it is essential to increase
the ratio of loaded road journeys and reduce the number of
empty journeys (3).

3.2. Obstacles to the use of Intermodal Freight Transport

The Committee of

3.2.1.
the Regions agrees with the
Commission that currently any change of transport mode
involves substantial costs, and that these must be identified,
quantified and reduced, and it would draw attention to the
major investment effort that will be needed to achieve this.

3.2.2.
Concerning infrastructures and means of transport,
the Committee wishes to highlight the need to encourage the
creation of the best possible rail and inland waterway freight

(2) According to the Green Paper on fair and efficient pricing in
transport, the annual cost of congestion in the European Union
reaches ECU 250 000 million, with road users accounting for
some 90 % of this amount.

(3) According to freight transport sector calculations in the United
Kingdom, approximately 62 % of available capacity is utilized. If
empty journeys are added, this figure falls to 44 %.

14.7.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 198/23

networks, as well as appropriate access to transfer points
between different modes. This is the only possible solution if
intermodality is to foster the ‘cleaner’ modes: rail and water-
ways. It is necessary to develop alternative routes to ease the
pressure on major centres by encouraging their modernization.
The latter must be included in the European combined
transport blueprint at the next meeting of spatial planning
ministers.

3.2.3.
The Committee points out that it must be clearly
defined who is responsible for guaranteeing and providing
finance for intermodal links. It is also necessary to standardize:

— the currently differing forms of infrastructure and terminal

ownership and usage charging;

— technical specifications for transport means, which are

regulated differently by country and mode; and

— increasingly specialized loading units, leading to frequent

empty returns.

3.2.4.
Turning to infrastructure operation and use, the
Committee of the Regions notes in particular the importance of
strengthening the weakest elements in the current intermodal
transport system: transfer points. For this reason, the policy of
interchange centres must define who is responsible for funding
and managing them.

3.2.5.
Transport nodes must be fully integrated into the
areas immediately surrounding them, so that the local com-
munity can benefit from the economic development, while
efforts are made to reduce adverse environmental effects. They
must be centres for employment and investment, so that the
surrounding population can enjoy the advantages, and not
only suffer the disadvantages, of living close by. In view of the
environmental damage caused by transport special consider-
ation should be given to the population living in the immediate
vicinity of the interchange centres.

3.2.6.
The Committee of the Regions believes that road
haulage, which the communication describes as the benchmark
for freight transport in Europe, is a competitive mode because
its costs do not include such important parameters as atmos-
pheric pollution, noise pollution, land use and others. It is
therefore essential that all these social costs be directly charged
to the mode of transport that causes them. Internalization of
costs cannot be achieved evenly throughout the Union on the
basis of a linear charge on all transport operators, but must be
adjusted in line with two factors:

b)

the existence of alternative efficient modes of public
transport.

This internalization of costs must be adjusted so as to reconcile
territorial cohesion with intermodal development of
the
European area as noted in points 2.2, 3.3.1.2 and 3.3.1.6 of
this opinion. Similarly, a problem specific to road transport is
the working conditions of drivers, as a result of the fierce
competition in the sector, and which is reflected in their
frequent protests, sometimes at European level. Driving and
rest periods must consequently be adequately monitored and
legal sanctions imposed in the event of infringement, as the
Commission has already stipulated in other documents (1).

The Committee shares the Commission’s view that
3.2.7.
operators who own their own fleets or infrastructure keep to
a single mode of transport in order to maximize profitability.
The Committee considers that the public authorities should
commit themselves to promoting intermodality.

3.2.8.
Regarding the difficulties caused at transfer points by
the complexity of aligning the different modes with one
another, the Committee feels that the various management
and funding options for these centres should be examined, so
that they can comply with working and efficiency conditions
favouring intermodality.

The Committee of

the Regions would point

3.2.9.
to
modal-based services and regulations as perhaps the most
important element
transport, on
account of their administrative complexity. It therefore con-
siders the following to be essential:

in achieving intermodal

— establishment of the necessary networks for the exchange
of information along the entire intermodal chain, and

— alignment of the currently different liability conventions
for each mode, establishment of an intermodal convention,
and definition of the role of transfer centres within such a
convention.

3.3. Europe’s Intermodal Freight Transport System: Steps towards

realization

3.3.1.

I n t e g r a t e d i n f r a s t r u c t u r e
p o r t m e a n s

a n d t r a n s -

3.3.1.1. With regard to the integration of infrastructures
and transport means, the Committee of the Regions believes

a) actual congestion existing in designated areas or zones of

the EU;

(1) Commission Working Paper: Towards a framework for the
solution of the environmental problems caused by traffic of heavy
goods vehicles (COM(1998) 444 final).

C 198/24

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

14.7.1999

that the European Union and the Member States, in cooper-
ation with regional and local authorities, should work together
across a broad spectrum on a transmodal basis, in order to
establish:

— a network of

freight

infrastructures which
favours intermodal
transport, particularly in terms of
constructing new transport routes capable of absorbing
the forecast traffic flow increase over the coming years;

transport

— a European network of transhipment centres meeting
the requirements of interoperability and interconnectivity
between modes. This is a particularly sensitive point, since
it must be borne in mind that the trans-European transport
network does not embody specific criteria for the develop-
ment and location of the main transport nodes or intercon-
nection points, and that although it is designed as a
multimodal network facilitating switching from one mode
to another, it is still based in outline on sections or routes.

3.3.1.2.
Improving transport infrastructures will facilitate
interregional connections and, at the same time, accelerate
economic development, avoiding excessive concentration of
activities in currently over-populated regions where the costs
of pollution and excessively intensive land use are high
and often poorly evaluated, because external costs are not
internalized in decision-making processes.

Concerning value adding interconnections and
3.3.1.3.
nodes, the Committee would stress the importance of network
nodes serving as real centres of economic activity and not
simply exchange centres. These nodes must become employ-
ment generators, stimulating business initiatives of regional
scope. The COR advocates carrying out studies and demon-
stration projects on the potential opportunities created in
intermodal exchange centres and on the definition of their
operating requirements, evaluating their economic efficacy.

3.3.1.4.
The spread of high speed trains will strengthen
multi-centred urban systems by reinforcing intermodal con-
nection points. The creation of new commercial nodes and
services will, however, require supplementary transport infra-
structures if the urban development process is to be sustained.
In other words, the positive effects of new infrastructures will
generate new demand for public investment.

social progress which is balanced and sustainable (Title I,
Article B of the Treaty on European Union), together with the
reduction of disparities between the levels of development of
the various regions (Title XIV, Article 130a), means avoiding
excessive polarization and, consequently, seeking an urban
model which is relatively balanced and based on multiple focal
points across EU territory, supporting growth in metropolitan
areas and revitalizing and strengthening the weaker urban
centres, especially those in low population density areas. In
this respect, strengthening intermediate-size towns is crucial.

3.3.1.7.
Economic internationalization and employment
creation demand territorial solutions, since when a given area
adopts economic development instruments such as access to
communications and telecommunications networks, human
resource upgrading and company research and services centres,
it is in a position to attract both independent businesses and
companies linked to multinationals who will
tailor their
production to world market needs. All sector policies must
therefore be examined in terms of their impact on territorial
development, in accordance with the principle of integrated
development and territorial cohesion, and must foster interre-
gional, cross-border and transnational cooperation between
regional and local bodies. This is crucial to the development of
transport and communications corridors. The aim is to
strengthen links between peripheral regions and the centre,
since transport and telecommunications infrastructures should
be connected with secondary networks and contribute to local
economies.

3.3.1.8.
The Committee views the harmonization of stan-
dards for loading units as vital to the success of intermodality,
and supports granting economic assistance to help operators
take the necessary steps.

3.3.2.

I n t e r o p e r a b l e
o p e r a t i o n s

a n d

i n t e r c o n n e c t e d

3.3.2.1.
The Committee of the Regions believes that the
Commission should specify how operators are to be encour-
aged to use intermodal freight transport. Market studies are
essential here, as is extension and intensification of the PACT
programme.

3.3.1.5.
In this regard, the Committee of the Regions is
strongly in favour of planning for the various interchange
points, so that the economic conditions required to maximize
the benefits of using this kind of infrastructure can be built up
at regional level.

3.3.1.6.
The principle of cohesion, the creation of an area
without internal frontiers and the promotion of economic and

Regarding free access to infrastructures, the Com-
3.3.2.2.
mittee considers that all Member States should apply the rail
transport directives (Directives 91/440/EEC, 95/19/EC and
95/18/EC) strictly, in order to ensure genuinely free movement
or cooperation . Similarly, the appropriate steps should be
taken for the technical standardization of rail networks,
enabling the various operators to move across the entire
European network.

14.7.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 198/25

3.3.2.3.
The Committee of the Regions emphasizes that
infrastructure charging and transport pricing are the key
elements in achieving intermodal transport and, consequently,
the growth of sustainable transport in the EU. It therefore
believes that each mode of transport must internalize the costs
it generates for society as a whole: this is the only way of
ensuring that rail transport can compete with road transport.

3.3.2.4.
The Committee agrees with the Commission on
the need to regulate state aids to transport by means of
guidelines for intermodal cooperation agreements, in order to
clarify the application of competition rules.

The Committee backs the Commission’s plan to
3.3.2.5.
promote an electronic forum to align timetables, highlighting
the need to set up the information networks required at
European level.

3.3.4. H o r i z o n t a l a c t i v i t i e s

The Committee of the Regions supports the Com-
3.3.4.1.
mission’s efforts to encourage research projects under the
various framework programmes and demonstration projects
showcasing the opportunities and benefits of
intermodal
transport.

3.3.4.2.
The Committee also supports the establishment of
a European Intermodal Reference Centre for Freight Transport.
It also believes it would be useful to build upon the experience
of existing regional and local transport groups and help
organize, where necessary, national round tables within the
Member States, with the aim of facilitating the formation of
regional or local intermodal communities.

3.4.

Intermodality and other policy areas

3.3.2.6.
Smart systems can secure improved use of existing
infrastructure and prevent excessive pressure on the environ-
ment. The Committee of the Regions therefore backs the
growing use of telematics and other leading-edge technologies,
such as new methods which can facilitate cross-border operabi-
lity between national transport networks.

3.4.1.
The Committee of the Regions is convinced that
interchange nodes must be set up in such a way that they can
lead to greater cohesion and regional development, by giving
them the means to generate employment and economic
activity, and to be active participants in spatial planning policy.

3.3.3. M o d e - i n d e p e n d e n t s e r v i c e s a n d r e g u -

l a t i o n s

The Committee of the Regions shares the Com-
3.3.3.1.
mission’s view that the formulation of a common architecture
for intermodal real-time electronic information systems, which
are fundamental to viable and competitive intermodal trans-
port, is a priority. To this end, clients must have access to
their
continuous data on each stage of
consignment, as well as information on prices, invoices, rail
traffic and availability.

the progress of

3.3.3.2.
The Committee would draw attention to the oppor-
tunity which paperless transport operations offer for creating
a uniform system for electronic transport documents and
procedures,
introducing real transparency to the transport
market and supporting intermodal transport. It must, however,
also point to the lack of regulation in this field.

3.3.3.3.
Turning to the question of liability to third parties,
the Committee is concerned at the fact that cover for the entire
operation, regardless of where damage occurs, does not affect
the cost of insurance or, consequently, of transport. It feels
that it would be advisable to limit the liability of the various
parties concerned for delay or damage to goods, particularly
with regard to transport centres.

3.4.2.
If intermodal transport is to develop successfully,
SMEs must be integrated and make a contribution. The various
administrations must put in place the necessary machinery to
ensure that changes in the transport system do not worsen the
economic position of these firms, as they are often vulnerable
to small variations in cost as a result of a highly competitive
market.

3.4.3.
As mentioned earlier, the Committee believes that
institutional support is needed in order for the transport
market
to move towards environment-friendly modes of
transport and reverse the trend of recent years towards
increasing road transport.

4. Conclusions

In conclusion, the Commission’s decision to promote
4.1.
intermodal transport is welcomed. This will allow transport
not to be a factor for regional deterioration, but rather for
preservation by creating interchange nodes and developing
telecommunications. The Committee of the Regions would,
however, make the following points.

4.2.
The EU and the Member States, in cooperation with
regional and local authorities, must be involved in improving
the conditions under which intermodal transport operates: in
many cases problems are on a local scale.

C 198/26

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

14.7.1999

4.3.
The measures adopted to foster intermodality should
aim for the greatest possible use of those transport modes
which are least harmful to the environment and to quality of
life: in particular rail, inland waterways and sea.

Intermodal

integration should not be restricted to
4.4.
infrastructures. A major effort needs to be made on operations
and services and, crucially, in the area of regulatory provisions,
with uniformization making transfer between modes easier
and cheaper.

if

level,

intermodal

4.5.
The Committee of the Regions would place particular
emphasis on the economic and management efforts which
will have to be made by the various public authorities at
Community, national and regional
the logistical
support is to be provided without which, the Communication
claims,
transfer cannot be effected except by
compulsion. It must be borne in mind that the trend is towards
continuing growth in the use of road transport (1). As the
White Paper on a strategy for revitalizing the Community’s
railways (2) noted ‘... while unease is growing about
the
negative effects of transport, rail’s market share still declines.
The main reason is dissatisfaction with the price and quality of
rail transport ...’.

The Committee of the Regions considers that in view
4.6.
of the impact of transport on the quality of life, measures
should be taken with regard to freight transport which lead to
the use of rational, balanced transport.

However, transport should not be entirely subordinate to
industrial and commercial demand.

4.7.
As indicated in the Communication from the Com-
mission on transport and CO2 (3), research into the relations
between transport and the production/consumption cycle
should provide pointers on how to dissociate increasing road
traffic from economic growth.

4.8.
Intermodal freight transport today fails to meet the
increasing logistics requirements of an economy which oper-
ates in a competitive and global market. At the same time it is
essential to achieve sustainable growth. The Committee of the
Regions therefore believes that:

(1) Road haulage accounts for 70 % of
compared with only 50 % in 1950.

the transport market,

(2) White Paper: A strategy for revitalizing the Community’s railways.

EC Commission (COM(96) 421 final).

(3) Transport and CO2 — Developing a Community Approach

(COM(1998) 204 final).

— It is essential to push ahead with developing a strong rail
freight network and to upgrade inland waterway transport.

— Arrangements for all modes of transport to pay for their
effects are crucial. The road transport sector is currently
competitive firstly because it does not pay for all the
negative environmental effects it generates, and, in some
cases, because of the poor conditions under which its
employees work. Each mode of transport should reflect its
real costs. The economic effects must, however, be taken
into consideration in the process.

— Transfer points must be made far more numerous, while
clearly defining who is responsible for funding and man-
agement, and which style of management will best help
them to adjust to the specific features of each mode.

— An information network servicing all

the operators
involved in the logistics chain and enabling the various
parameters to be optimized must be mapped out. It must
also be ensured that this network is accessible to users.

— Standardization of technical characteristics, administrative
procedures and sharing of risks between different countries
and administrative levels is vital.

The Committee would focus attention on the following
4.9.
necessary steps in creating an efficient European intermodal
transport system:

— The need to reinforce the rail and inland waterway

transport networks.

— The need to clarify the conditions under which interchange

centres would operate.

— Support for research and development work, accompanied
by widespread application of technological and telematics
solutions which could facilitate transport intermodality.
The COR lends complete support to initiatives such as the
Pilot Actions for Combined Transport (PACT programme).
As the Committee has pointed out in previous opinions (4),
it would welcome a greater financial commitment to the
PACT programme, and would like to see support for other
combined transport projects, that are more local in focus
and do not belong to international routes of European
interest, but do have relevance for cities and regions
Europe-wide.

— Development of technological tools operating detailed and
precise price differentiation systems. These systems are an
important tool in achieving the target of internalization of
external transport costs.

(4) Opinion on a sustainable transport strategy for local and regional

authorities and the European Union.

14.7.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 198/27

4.10.
Transport should no longer be viewed as subsidiary
to industrial and commercial activity, and initiatives must

be taken in support of rational and environment-friendly
transport.

Brussels, 11 March 1999.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a Council Directive on port
reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues’

(1999/C 198/06)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Proposal for a Council Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste
and cargo residues [COM(1998) 452 final — 98/0249 (SYN)] (1);

having regard to the decision taken by the Council on 6 August 1998 requesting it to draw up an opinion
in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 198c of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 15 July 1998 instructing Commission 3 on
Trans-European Networks, Transport and Information Society to prepare the opinion;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 362/98 rev. 1), adopted by Commission 3 on 22 January 1999
(rapporteurs: Mr Niederbremer and Mr Ervelä);

considering the Council Resolution on a ‘common policy on safe seas’ of 8 June 1993 (2), which took the
view that improvements in the availability and use of port reception facilities within the Community were
among the Community’s priority tasks;

considering Council Directive 95/21/EC on the enforcement — in respect of shipping using Community
ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States — of international standards
for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (port State control) (3),
which took the line that such ships should not be allowed to put to sea if they pose an ‘unreasonable
threat of harm to the marine environment’;

considering the International Convention of 1973 on the prevention of marine pollution from ships, as
modified by the 1978 Protocol (MARPOL 73/78), which laid down, inter alia, standards and conditions
for the discharge of waste and residues at sea, as well as requiring the parties to the Convention to ensure
the provision of port facilities;

mindful of the Convention on the protection of the Baltic marine environment (Helsinki Conventions
1974/1992), which will impose stringent discharge requirements on all ships using Baltic ports when it
comes into force on 1 January 2000;

taking into account Helsinki Commission Recommendation No 17/11 (HELCOM, Commission on the
protection of the Baltic’s marine environment) of 13 March 1996, introducing a uniform system of fees
for the handling and disposal of ship-generated waste;

(1) OJ C 271, 31.8.1998, p. 79.
(2) OJ C 271, 7.10.1993, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 157, 7.7.1995, p. 1.