Transport Ministers to meet on Euro-Asian transport links
during the 70th Session of the
UNECE Inland Transport Committee
Geneva, 29 January 2008 -- Aimed at promoting safe, efficient and
sustainable pan-European and Euro-Asian inland transport Ministers of Transport
from 20 countries in the Euro-Asian region together with high-level officials
from the 56 UNECE member States, the European Commission, international
and European transport organizations and NGOs are expected to attend the
70th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Inland Transport Committee, to be held in the Palais des Nations in Geneva
on 19-21 February 2008. The session will be opened by Mr. Marek Belka,
Executive Secretary of UNECE.
The Inland Transport Committee (ITC) is the highest policymaking body of
the UNECE in the field of transport. In the course of the last 60 years, together
with its subsidiary bodies, the ITC has provided a pan-European intergovernmental
forum, where UNECE member countries – 56 in all – come together
to forge the tools of their economic cooperation and negotiate and adopt international
legal instruments on inland transport. These legal instruments are considered
indispensable for developing efficient, harmonized and integrated, safe and
sustainable pan-European transport systems.
The first day of the Committee’s session will be marked by a Meeting
of Transport Ministers from countries in the Euro-Asian region. Ministers
are expected to confirm their support for the joint UNECE-UNESCAP project
on Euro-Asian transport links and its continuation by endorsing the identified
Euro-Asian routes and their priority development as well as the creation of
a mechanism ensuring the efficient coordination and monitoring of project
related activities. The UNECE-UNESCAP project on Euro-Asian transport links,
as part of the global United Nations Development Account Project on developing
interregional transport linkages, has defined a coherent network of rail,
road and inland waterways that pass through 19 countries from Europe and Asia.
Given the continued growth of trade and resulting congestion of the main ports
and their hinterland routes, Euro-Asian inland transport links provide an
important extension of the existing transport capacity. The planned Phase
II of the joint UNECE-UNESCAP project entails the coordinated development
of the Euro-Asian routes and projects identified to date.
Some of the other issues to be addressed at the 70 th session are outlined
below.
- Transport infrastructure agreements. UNECE agreements provide
infrastructure and performance standards for major road, rail and combined
transport links as well as inland waterways stretching across the European
continent. The Committee will review recent amendments and proposals
regarding these agreements with a view to promoting the further development
of pan-European and Euro-Asian inland transport networks.
- Border-crossing facilitation. In addition to establishing
harmonized physical infrastructure parameters, UNECE transport facilitation
agreements and conventions aim at removing non-physical obstacles to
the smooth movement of goods and passengers across borders. The Committee
will consider new amendments to the International Convention on the Harmonization
of Frontier Controls of Goods aimed at further harmonizing border procedures
for international road transport and making them more efficient. It will
also consider other recent developments such as the progress with the
computerization of TIR, which aims to create a customs-to-customs information
exchange system including management of data on the TIR guarantee.
- Road
traffic safety. The work in progress in this area is
geared towards better implementation of the road safety conventions
and the accelerated revision of the Consolidated Resolution on Road
Traffic (R.E.1). The Committee will discuss follow up actions to the
First UN Global Road Safety Week aimed at raising awareness about road
safety issues at global, regional and national levels, as well as possible
initiatives to be considered by the UN General Assembly.
- Road
transport. The Committee will be requested to approve
the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Contract for the International
Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) concerning the electronic consignment
note and to support the organization of a ceremony for its signature
in May 2008. Concerning the European Agreement on the Work of Crews
of Vehicles engaged in International Road Transport (AETR), the core
of the discussions will relate to the amendments required to harmonize
this Agreement with the new EU rules concerning driving and rest
periods and the introduction of the digital tachograph by non-EU
countries.
- Vehicle regulations. The World Forum for Harmonization
of Vehicle Regulations adopted 2 new regulations and updated
51 existing ones in 2007. These newly adopted regulations and amendments
will improve the active and passive safety of vehicles as well
as their environmental performance. The Committee will take stock
of all recent developments and provide further guidance on work
in this area.
- Transport of dangerous goods. UNECE activities
in this sensitive area pertain to the development and updating
of safety and security requirements for the international carriage of
dangerous goods by road (ADR), rail (RID) and inland waterways
(ADN) and their harmonization. The Committee will examine new developments
in this area, notably the draft amendments to ADR, RID and ADN
prepared in 2006-2007.
- Promotion of sustainable transport. UNECE
administers jointly with WHO/Europe the Transport, Health and Environment
Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) that aims to integrate environmental
and health concerns in transport policies. The Committee will take stock
of all recent developments and provide further guidance.
- Transport
of perishable foodstuffs. The Working Party
on the Transport of Perishable Foodstuffs will present a report
on its activities and recent developments concerning this important
segment of international trade flows.
- Operational activities/assistance
to countries with economies in transition. UN ECE promotes subregional
cooperation in the framework of the Trans-European Motorway (TEM)
and Trans-European Railway (TER) programmes , aiming at the coordinated
development of coherent transport infrastructure networks in Central,
Eastern and Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus. In 2007, the UNECE
Transport Division undertook more that 5 0 advisory missions and capacity-building
activities aimed at assisting its member countries, in particular countries
with economies in transition, to accelerate their efforts toward the
harmonization of their transport legislation as well as the integration
of their transport systems with those of other UNECE member States.
The report on these activities, including recent developments and challenges,
will be discussed during the ITC session.
For additional information please visit: http://www.unece.org/trans or
contact:
Mrs. Eva Molnar, Director, or
Mr. Michalis P. Adamantiadis, Chief of
Transport and Infrastructure Development Section
UNECE Transport Division
Palais des Nations
CH – 1211 Geneva
10, Switzerland
Tel: +41(0)22 917 24 01, 917 11 28
Fax: +41(0)22 917 00 39
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
Ref: ECE/TRANS/08/P01