European Parliament resolution on the Gotthard Tunnel disaster
Date: 2001-11-15
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: accident prevention, approximation of laws, common transport policy, traffic control, transport accident, transport safety, tunnel

C 140 E/582

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.6.2002

Thursday 15 November 2001

4.
Urges the Commission to contribute to the consolidation of the airline sector in Europe, using the
Community competition rules on a case-by-case basis, so that a new structure can be built up for Euro-
pean airlines;

Asks the Commission to watch developments on the labour market in the air industry very closely so

5.
that, if necessary, it can present effective proposals for the safeguarding or creation of jobs;

6.
Supports the social partners’ efforts to avoid more job losses and welcomes their willingness to work
together in trying to stabilise the industry at this time; also supports the European social partners’ proposal
for creating an ad hoc social group to identify and promote measures to alleviate the social consequences
of the current crisis;

Urges the Commission, the Member States and the international community to work on correspond-

7.
ing proposals to restore public confidence in both the security and the safety of the aviation sector;

8.

Urges the EU and the Member States to back public campaigns to support the tourism industry;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of

9.
the Member States and of the candidate countries.

15. Accident in the Gotthard Tunnel

B5-0710, 0718, 0724, 0725 and 0734/2001

European Parliament resolution on the Gotthard Tunnel disaster

The European Parliament,

, having regard to the tragic accident in the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland on 24 October 2001,

A. deeply shocked by the disaster in the Gotthard tunnel, hitherto regarded as the safest tunnel in Europe,

which has made new measures to improve safety in tunnels an even more urgent priority,

B. whereas the accident brought to light legal and social irregularities which could pose a threat to road

safety,

C. having regard to the need to reinforce safety conditions for road transport and to promote rail and

piggy-back transport,

D.

aware of the concerns of the inhabitants of the transalpine region as regards road safety and the
environmental impact of road transport,

E. whereas the Gotthard tunnel provided road mobility for persons and goods between Italy and the rest
of Europe, and whereas in 1999 alone it carried five times more heavy goods vehicles than the other
three main Swiss routes put together,

Sends its most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and pays tribute to the courage of

1.
the rescue workers;

2.
Calls for an early conclusion to the in-depth inquiry that is already under way, so that as much light
as possible is shed on the conditions surrounding the accident, and the responsibility for them; calls for
those responsible to be severely punished;

3.
Reaffirms the necessity to make safety the top priority in transport policy, and calls on the Commis-
sion, the Council and the Member States, as well as on Switzerland, to take action to achieve this, learning
everything they can from the Gotthard and Mont Blanc tragedies;

13.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 140 E/583

Thursday 15 November 2001

4.
Takes the view that the measures taken thus far to ensure safety of road transport are insufficient,
particularly in certain tunnels, and notes that, unfortunately, all too often not even minimum standards are
adhered to;

Calls for priority to be given to rail transport of freight, particularly in mountainous and hazardous

5.
areas; reaffirms the urgent need to transfer transalpine traffic from the roads to the railways;

6.
Calls on the Commission to present at the earliest opportunity the new directive that has already
been announced on the harmonisation of minimum safety standards for road and rail tunnels, and under-
takes to cooperate fully with the Council and Commission to ensure its rapid adoption and implemen-
tation; calls on the Commission to give serious consideration to the recent report by the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development, which proposes banding of tunnels according to their level of
safety for the transportation of dangerous substances;

7.
Considers that the accident in the Gotthard tunnel and the ensuing traffic congestion have again
underlined the need for the development of an integrated transport policy for the entire Alpine region;
recalls its request of 5 September 2001 for the Commission to initiate a plan of action in this area;

Calls for the implementation of specific and more restrictive measures for vehicles transporting haz-

8.
ardous, or potentially hazardous, materials;

9.
Takes the view that strict controls on maximum driving times are another way of achieving road
safety; calls on the Council and Commission to bring the conciliation on working time to a prompt and
positive conclusion, and asks the Member States for rapid implementation and control;

10.
Considers that the circumstances surrounding the Gotthard accident have underlined the import-
ance of the Commission’s proposal to establish a uniform driver attestation; calls on Member States to
make every effort to ensure that, once adopted, the proposed regulation is properly enforced, in order to
ensure a level playing field throughout the single market in heavy goods transport in terms of employment
of drivers of heavy goods vehicles;

Supports the approach of sustainable freight transport, as provided for in the Protocol on the
11.
Implementation of the Alpine Convention in the field of Transport (‘Transport Protocol’) and the agree-
ment between Switzerland and the EU, underlining that this is a good basis for the development of an
environmentally sustainable transport policy throughout the sensitive transalpine area;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to give priority to measures ensuring safety in all
12.
tunnels which link the north and the south of Europe (Alps and Pyrenees) with the aim of re-establishing
mobility of persons and goods as soon as possible;

Calls on the Commission and the Council to present without delay an efficient and integrated
13.
spatial planning proposal for Europe, linked with the development of the European Transport Networks
and with regional and environmental policy;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

14.
ments and parliaments of the Member States and of Switzerland.

16. Human rights: Massacre of 200 people in Nigeria

B5-0711, 0712, 0713, 0720, 0726, 0732 and 0735/2001

European Parliament resolution the human rights situation in Nigeria

The European Parliament,

, having regard to its resolution of 15 February 2001 on human rights in Nigeria (1),

, having regard to the meeting on 5 November 2001 between Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo

and the Governors of the Benue, Taraba, Nassarawa and Plateau States,

(1) OJ C 276, 1.10.2001, p. 284.