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CONTAINER TRANSPORT ON INLAND WATERWAYS IN EUROPE
14 November 1997
Eleven countries sign an international agreement to develop container
transport on inland waterways in Europe
On the
occasion of the UN/ECE Regional Conference on Transport and
the Environment (Vienna, 12-14 November 1997), eleven
countries have signed a Protocol on combined transport on
inland waterways to the European Agreement on Important
International Combined Transport Lines and Related
Installations (AGTC) of 1991.
The objectives
of the Protocol, prepared by a group of experts working under
the auspices of the UN/ECE, are to emphasize the importance
European Governments accord to the development of combined
transport services on European inland waterways and coastal
routes with a view to reducing the environmental impact of
transport sector. The Protocol will also provide a
multilateral legal framework for promoting the use of
combined transport techniques (containers, swap-bodies,
semi-trailers, trucks) on European inland waterways and
coastal routes. It will enhance international coordination
and cooperation in planning and setting of priorities for the
development of a coherent European combined transport system
and infrastructures using the extensive European inland
waterways network and coastal routes as well as related
ports.
In order to
achieve these objectives, the Protocol to the AGTC Agreement
determines all important European inland waterways, canals
and coastal routes that are suitable for the use of combined
transport operations. The Protocol identifies all important
terminals in European ports that are suitable for the use of
combined transport services on inland waterways. It also
determines and prescribes, as international standards,
technical and operational minimum requirements that must be
fulfilled by the European inland waterway network and its
port terminals in order to allow for efficient international
combined transport.
The AGTC
Agreement (European Agreement on Important International
Combined Transport Lines and Related Installations (AGTC) of
1991) prescribes the basic European combined transport
(road/rail) network as well as rail infrastructure standards
and operational minimum requirements and covers the whole of
Europe (from Norway to Turkey and from Portugal to the
Russian Federation). The following 21 countries are, at
present, Contracting Parties to the AGTC Agreement: Austria,
Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Norway , Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.
The Protocol,
which will remain opened for signature in the UN/ECE in
Geneva until 31 October 1998, will enter into force after 5
States have ratified it.