Speeches: Dr Istvan Csillag, Minister of Economy & Transport, Hungary

7th IRU East-West Road Transport Conference Budapest, 15-16 May 2003 Budapest Congress Centre (BCC), Alkotas u. 63-67 - 1123 Budapest, Hungary

Dr Istvan Csillag,
Minister of Economy & Transport, Hungary

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great respect and pleasure that I greet you at the IRU East-West transport conference in the capital city of Hungary, Budapest. This is now the seventh in the series of these conferences, which is a number worthy of respect and which now permits me to use the word traditional. In the ten years since the first conference immense changes have taken place in Europe. Naturally, these changes have had their effect on international road transportation as well, as this profession is a sensitive and very quickly reacting thermometer of changes taking place in the world of politics and economy. Over the years this forum has become one of the important places, a real market place of European transport co-operation for the participants of road transportation. The resolutions made at the conference have become important reference sources for the profession, governments and international organisations.

Even the concept of East-West is undergoing continuous change, forever receiving new content, while a kind of approaching, dissolving is taking place, as a result of which, in my opinion, the setting up of the two poles is increasingly losing its old interpretations. One of the visible pieces of evidence of this process is the enlargement of the European Union from 15 to 25 members.

I am certain that all of you know that hardly more than a month ago, in a referendum on 12^th April the citizens of Hungary voted yes with a large majority in answer to the question of whether they wish to be members of the European Union. This vote was a real historic event, which in its appearances is linked to a single moment, but in actual fact opens up a new age. On 1^st May 2004 we set off from home homeward bound. I am certain this statement, which is not without a certain degree of emotional content, is especially true for road transport enterprises.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to say a short few words on the economic situation of our country. The world economy environment, in which we live at the moment, for the time being is not showing signs that would lead us to the conclusion that we are approaching a boom period. This is true for our continent, Europe as well. In spite of this we are expecting a 4% growth in GDP in 2003, which is approximately twice that of the European Union average. The 6% Hungarian unemployment rate can be said to be favourable when compared to the situation in Europe, the annual rate of inflation is at about 4.5%, which we expect to go down further by a smaller degree by the end of the year. The Government stands, it is without problems of balance, it is performance oriented, it has set the creation of a system of conditions to improve competitiveness as its goal. These goals are in harmony with the economic policy that is based on the foundations harmonising with the basic principles of the European Union.

Today, at the onset of the 21^st century the level of development of Hungarian transport - similarly to the level of our general economic development - is below that of the average of the European Community. In the past ten years the successful market economy performance of the Hungarian economy has pointed out that fast roads, a high performance railway, air transportation at a high service level, as well as the possibility of cheap water transportation for industrial and agricultural raw materials are the most important basic conditions when selecting the sites of industrial, commercial and logistical enterprises. In Hungary's economic development, in the growth of its international competitiveness, transport has become one of the decisive factors.

A special goal of Hungarian transport policy: continuous economic growth, the promotion of sustainable development, the improvement of the quality of life by providing the mobility required for this. The European transport corridors are the main arteries of an integrating European economy, so leading these quickly and safely through Hungary will provide and excellent opportunity for our country to actively join the international circulation. It is well known that Hungary is a transit country, nearly one million goods vehicles travel through it annually, not to mention the similarly sized flow of export-import goods and even buses. This is an immense load for the road network, but especially for the populations of those villages and towns with heavy transit traffic. The Government is endeavouring to provide suitable resources for the development of the road network. And our medium-term plans also include that by 2006 major roads will run up to all significant borders. We are also counting on the assistance of the European Union in order to put our plans into action, the more so as Pan-European transport corridors Nos. IV, V and X go right through us.

Taking a closer look at the situation of the division of labour in Hungarian transport it can be quickly determined that its proportions are closer to the desired figures to be found in the European Union transport policy, in the document commonly known as the White Book. The ratio of public road goods transportation is at present 57% as compared to the 24% of the railways. This latter indicator in the Union is only 8%. Due to the development of motorization the proportion of individual modes of travel in the sphere of passenger transportation is continuously increasing, at the turn of the millennium this reached 60%. The division of labour between bus and rail transportation shows a 26-11% ratio in Hungary. The railways only have a 6% share in European Union passenger transportation. According to our plans we need to take care that the proportion of transportation that is friendly to the environment does not go down in perspective.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the end of 2002 there were 27,115 goods transportation and 1,544 bus passenger transport enterprises registered in Hungary. These data have hardly shown any change over the last five years. Just like in the majority of European Union countries, in Hungary as well the number of micro and small enterprises that have only one or two vehicles is very high. These enterprises, that are basically active on the domestic market, look at accession with a certain degree of trepidation. As far as it is able the Government is trying to provide them with support via various programmes, involving a wide range from IT development to vehicle acquisition.

It is now less than a year from when Hungary will become a member state of the European Union. In the area of road transportation, be it goods or passenger transportation, we have already complied with the greater proportion of the acquis. It is mainly only those legal acts that are missing that can only be enacted when the country is a member state. We have also taken measures that are of a preparatory and acclimatisation nature and serve to promote problem-free transition. Using all the instruments of communication available we have been continuously informing the enterprises in the profession about the changes that can be expected and their consequences. Getting prepared and preparing: these guiding principles are the determinant principles of the coming months.

An especially important role in this process is played by the profession's representative bodies. It would be impossible to keep in effective contact with several tens of thousands of enterprises without the associations playing their representation-mediation role. The Hungarian Government is in direct contact with these organisations in the more significant issues, we ask their opinion regularly, and exchange ideas with their leaders during personal meetings. Of these associations we find the work carried out by the Hungarian member organisation of the IRU, the Hungarian Road Haulage Association, the organiser of this conference, to be especially important. At this point I would like to thank the organisers for their high standard, committed and, what is more, successful work.

The Transport Ministry also keeps in direct contact with the leadership of the International Road Union, our top staff regularly participate at the congresses and events of the organisation. We were there at the last congress in Bucharest, as well as jubilee session in Brussels this year. We regularly meet the representatives of the IRU in the work groups of the UN EEC Internal Transport Committee, and at the meetings at various levels of the European Conference of Transport Ministers. Budapest has written its name in the history of the profession in that at the congress that was held here in 1996 a significant step took place with which the IRU and member organisations committed themselves to sustainable development, with this showing an example to other sectors.

Post-war Hungarian international road transport now looks back at a past of four decades. Today this completely privatised profession has gained significant experience, and those enterprises involved in it have attained international recognition. The standard of the work of Hungarian drivers is no lower than that of their European colleagues. I am convinced that we can look towards successful participation in a market that is expanding to 500 million.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Finally, please permit me to wish successful work to the participants of the seventh East-West conference. Thank you for your honouring attention.

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