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May 19, 2005
TransEuro conference: EU enlargement gains at risk if road transport not promoted
Tallinn - Participants in the IRU's 8th TransEuro road transport conference in Tallinn, Estonia, 19-20 May 2005, will be asked to adopt a resolution calling on governments and inter-governmental bodies to give top political priority to promoting effective road transport. This major event has attracted nearly 500 participants from 39 countries, across Europe and Asia. Staged in partnership with IRU Estonian Member Association ERAA and under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Estonia, Andrus Ansip, it is focused on the link between road transport and economic performance in the enlarged European Union of 25 Member States.
IRU President Paul Laeremans said: "The EU enlargement in 2004 was a major milestone in pan-European integration. However, widespread expectations that it will accelerate economic development and social progress will not be realised unless Member States and EU institutions put in place measures to promote effective road transport. The simple fact is that road transport is vital for the EU's economic competitiveness in the global economy, yet EU policy currently aims, not to facilitate road transport, but to penalise it in favour of less efficient alternatives. Policymakers must recognise that any penalty on road transport will always result in an even greater penalty on the economy as a whole."
He continued: "The road transport sector calls for measures to ensure that all operators have an equal chance in the market and for the promotion of road transport, which we must remember is no longer merely a mode of transport but rather an integral part of modern production, distribution, tourism and public transport."
Conference speakers include senior figures from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the European Commission, national governments, trade unions, other sectors including freight forwarders, maritime transport, tourism, vehicle manufacturers, as well as the road transport sector itself.
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