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SECI Regional Road Transport Committee (RRTC) in a nutshell... |
SECI Regional Road Transport Committee (RRTC)
The Regional Road Transport Committee (RRTC) was created by virtue of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Facilitation of International Road Transport of Goods in the SECI Region, signed by Ministers responsible for Transport in Athens, on 28 April 1999. The Committee is composed of representatives of competent authorities of all SECI participating States to ensure adequate coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the provisions of this MoU in the region. The Committee has created two groups of experts: one on Charging Policies in the region, and another on the International Vehicle Weight Certificate.
Subregional groupings like BSEC and Black Sea PETrA follow closely the activities and instruments developed by the RRTC and intend to use them for their own programmes. Other regional fora and bodies, such as CIS, SPECA etc., have also shown interest in RRTC experience.
The RRTC has held so far five sessions and has achieved concrete results in the following areas as stipulated in the MoU:
- identification of roads servicing international traffic (E-Roads) on which lorries in international transport complying with the relevant regulations of the European Community on maximum dimensions and weights are allowed without requiring payment of charges for excess weights and dimensions. The objective is to provide transparency to the transport industry about payment of charges for excess weights and dimensions;
- preparation of an International Vehicle Weight Certificate aimed at avoiding repetitive weight measurements at each border crossing point of goods road vehicles en route. It is planed to include this certificate also into a new Annex 8 to the UNECE Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods (1985);
- progressive liberalization and sustainability of international road transport. The Committee has adopted a Joint Statement which provides for the inclusion in existing and new bilateral agreements of a provision allowing for quota free bilateral and transit road transport to/through their territory for "green" and "greener and safe" lorries (in accordance with ECMT definitions), registered in any of the Parties to the MoU. This should lead to a gradual establishment of free market access for international road transport in the subregion;
- maintenance of an International Road Transport Information System containing detailed information on permissible road vehicle weights and dimensions, transportation costs, combined transport services, road transport control and enforcement agencies in the region etc., to facilitate planning of the road transport industry;
- survey of accession by SECI participating States to the UNECE International Road Transport Agreements;
- review and study of possibilities for gradual convergence of charging policies for international road transport of goods in SECI participating States as well as for the adoption of relevant European Union standards and ECMT resolutions;
- review of visa facilitation procedures for professional drivers and promotion of best existing practices.
The RRTC has, as mandated by the MoU, also started work on a Multilateral Framework Agreement on Road Transport in the SECI region.
All SECI member States are also members of RRTC. These are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Yugoslavia.
UNECE provides the secretariat to the RRTC. It also provides the RRTC with legal and technical expertise and substantive documentation. Other organizations, such as the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), also play an active role in RRTC's work.
For more information, please contact martin.magold@unece.org