Conference Resolution

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

Conference Resolution

The participants of the 7th IRU East-West Road Transport Conference,

Underlining the key role of road transport in socio-economic activities, trade and tourism in particular and in uniting people, guaranteeing their mobility and ensuring a better distribution of wealth,
Welcoming the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union, which should create vast opportunities for individuals and enterprises, while at the same time emphasising the urgent need to address remaining problems, thus ensuring equal chances for all in the enlarged EU,

Considering that global processes always require an international approach and legal framework based on existing best industry and regulatory practices, such as the EU acquis and the instruments developed within the UNECE and the ECMT, 

Stressing the importance of ensuring wide social support and a proper legislative framework conducive to sustainable road transport practices, coupled with an improved road safety level, high quality services and profitability for operators,

Appeal to all partners from civil society and industry, as well as national and international governmental bodies to:

• Be ready to meet a completely new market situation, whereby the soon-to-be-enlarged EU transport market will be fully open, without internal frontiers, for Member State operators (except an interim period as to cabotage) ready to serve trade and tourism within the largest economic integration group in the world;
• Reinforce transport market integration within the enlarged European Union through further harmonisation of conditions for competition, harmonised interpretation, implementation and enforcement of existing rules and through monitoring market developments, thus allowing timely policy adjustments in case of undesirable market developments;
• Pay special attention to such basic criteria as admission to the occupation and social regulations, by favouring the creation of common EU-compatible pan-European rules for international road transport operators;
• Join forces to reduce/eliminate barriers to trade, tourism and transport, by focusing efforts on areas with high concentration of barriers, such as borders;
• Recognise, support, encourage and reward the efforts of the road transport industry to offer high quality services while observing the principles of sustainable development, in particular by putting to good use the proposals contained in the IRU's 3 "i" strategy, whereby governments provide real business incentives to speed up the use of innovative technologies and best practices, as well as adequate infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks, missing links and the resulting congestion;
• Duly consider and further improve the pan-European transport market with close co-operation links between EU and non-EU countries by providing efficient infrastructure and institutional links with neighbouring countries, regions and continents whose economic centres are best served by road transport;
• Work together, in a true public-private partnership, with the road transport sector at pan-European level, building on the EU and other existing models and putting best industry practices to good use.

Invite transport companies, their managers and road transport associations to:

• Contribute to an East-West private-private partnership in sharing knowledge, conducting joint logistics activities, using a "common language" and a fair approach in their daily business and market practices.

[ top ]