Speeches: Kallistratos Dionelis, Secretary General, European Association of Tolled Motorway Companies ASECAP, France

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

ASECAP - WHAT HAPPENS IN EUROPE

Kallistratos Dionelis
Secretary General, European Association of Tolled Motorway Companies ASECAP, France

THE FUTURE ROAD POLICY AND ITS BASIC CHARACTERISTICS
As a starting point: What do we mean when we say Europe?

Basically Europe is a continuous evolution. The EU -being the core of the future more unified Europe- has started an enlargement process. At the end of this lengthy procedure the see the vision of Europe.

The E. Commission is the guard of the Treaty and -having the right of initiative- represents the main European locomotive of innovation. The E. Commission analyses, examines, synthesizes and proposes to the E. Council and the E. parliament the future policy. So, the lengthy policy making procedure starts. After this procedure comes to an end, the final legislation appears. The legislation is always based on the initial E. Commission's proposals but -in most of the cases- very-very different.

ASECAP
What is ASECAP?
ASECAP is the Association of the European Motorways, Bridges and Tunnels with Tolls.

Before 1995 ASECAP was there to coordinate better its members in applying the agreed EU legislation.

Around 1995 the new EU policy for a ppp cooperation becomes a reality.

The private sector is there not only to apply already agreed legislation but to propose and sometimes co-decide with the EU Bodies on the future orientations.

ASECAP and its members recognize their new challenges and decided to be more involved in the policy making paths.

IS THERE ANY EU ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY?
What is the future Transport Policy under preparation in Europe?
The White Paper is the answer.
The EC in 200 pages describes its vision for the future transport policy in Europe.
It is obvious that the E. Parliament and the E. Council will give their own views and finally the locomotive will start moving towards well defined targets objectives! Do we know the corner stones of the future road transport under preparation?

TENs.
Road safety.
Introduction of the "user pays principle"!
Internalization of the external cost!
EFC - interoperability. (contractual, operational, technical)

WHAT ASECAP THINKS:
Introduction of the function of the "Road Product".
Definition of its basic parameters.
Quantification of social costs and other externalities (costs and benefits)
Quality criteria.
Cost benefit analyses.
Quality and Cost of the final "Road Product".

EUROPEAN PROJECTS of ASECAP interest.
CESARE: aiming at an interoperable EFC system in Europe.
PISTA: (Pilot on Interoperable Systems for Tolling Applications).

The main objective of the project is the practical implementation of the Interoperable EFCs throughout corridors belonging to several countries with toll motorways.
ADVICE: (Advanced Vehicle Classification and Enforcement Systems). ADVICE introduces guidelines relating to the design of classification and enforcement systems.
DESIRE: (Designs for Interurban Road pricing schemes in Europe).
e-SAFETY: The e-safety initiative is an initiative of the EC and it concerns basically the future orientations of the automotive industry and the construction of the future "intelligent vehicle" capable to make appropriate use of the interactive ITS safety vehicle and road infrastructure technologies.

EU ORIENTATIONS: 2002-2010.
A new Infrastructure financing framework
A common methodology for the infrastructure charging
EFC interoperability (DSRC - GPS GSM- GALILEO)
Private cars- heavy lorries.
Urban areas-Motorways.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE BY THE INDUSTRY
Co-operation / Co-ordination / End of the fragmentation
A structure is needed - a ROAD PLATFORM.

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