UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Releases 1997

[Index]

THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON TRANSPORT AND THE ENVIRONMENT STARTS ITS DELIBERATIONS
(12-14 November 1997, Board room, Vienna International Centre)

12 November 1997  

On 12 November 1997, Mr. Martin BARTENSTEIN, Austrian Minister for Environment, Youth and Family Affairs, Mr. Caspar EINEM, Austrian Minister for Science and Transport, and Mr. Yves BERTHELOT, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), will inaugurate the first Regional Conference on Transport and the Environment organized by the UN/ECE in cooperation with the Government of Austria. More than 40 ministers of transport or environment will participate in the Conference. The regional Conference is expected to adopt a Declaration and a Joint Programme of Action. These documents should be a milestone of a new era for regional cooperation in the field of transport and environment. Two legally binding texts to improve the environmental performance of the transport sector will be signed on the occasion of the Conference and two other legal texts with the same objective will also be endorsed by the Conference.

The programme of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Regional Conference on Transport and the Environment will include:

Adoption of the Declaration and the Joint Programme of Action (ECE/RCTE/CONF./2 & 3)

These two documents have been the subject of intensive negotiations during the last months. The Declaration outlines the common strategy of the Governments members of the ECE for dealing with the challenges ahead regarding transport and the environment and signals the intention of the Governments to take appropriate steps for the implementation of such strategy. The text is structured in two parts: a preambular part, which recalls the basis for action; and an operative part, structured in nine chapters, which sets up the objectives to be pursued and the measures to be taken in a number of major transport areas for action.

Structured in almost the same Chapters of issues as the Draft Declaration of the Conference, the Draft Programme of Joint Action contains a programme of activities to be undertaken by ECE Governments and other interested parties, both at national and international level, in order to improve the environmental performance of the transport sector.

General debate

The General debate will focus on major issues concerning transport and the environment in the ECE region, such as the strategic approach towards sustainable transport: reconciling economic, environmental and social objectives; establishing environmental targets for the transport sector and ways to achieve them; achieving sustainable transport in countries in transition; how to best promote less polluting modes of transport.

Legal texts to improve the environmental performance of the transport sector

On the occasion of the Regional Conference UN/ECE countries will sign two international legally binding instruments to improve the environmental performance of the transport sector namely, the Protocol on Combined Transport on Inland Waterways to the European Agreement on Important International Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC) of 1991 (ECE/TRANS/122) and the Agreement concerning the Adoption of Uniform Conditions for Periodical Technical Inspections of Wheeled Vehicles and the Reciprocal Recognition of such Inspections (ECE/RCTE/CONF./4).

Additionally, the Conference will endorse two other legal texts, namely the draft Addendum 1 - Rule No. 1 on Uniform Provisions for Periodical Technical Inspections of Wheeled Vehicles with regard to the Protection of the Environment (ECE/RCTE/CONF./5) and the Draft Amendments to the 1971 European Agreement supplementing the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (ECE/RCTE/CONF./6).

Press conference

Mr. Martin BARTENSTEIN, Austrian Minister for Environment, Youth and Family Affairs, Mr. Caspar EINEM, Austrian Minister for Science and Transport, Mr. Yves BERTHELOT, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), will hold a press conference to close the first regional Conference on Transport and the Environment. It will be held on Friday, 14 November 1997 at 11.30 a.m. in the board room of the VIC.