A3-0390/93

Resolution on the future development of the common transport policy

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its resolutions of

.13 December 1990 on the development of the common transport policy in the run-up to the completion of the internal market,

.11 June 1991 on the development of relations between the European Community and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the field of transport,

.9 July 1991 on community policy on transport infrastructure,

.9 July 1991 on combined transport in the EEC - an evolving situation,

.11 September 1991 on transport and the environment,

.12 June 1992 on Horizon 2000: European transport,

.12 June 1992 on transport in the Mediterranean area,

.12 June 1992 on congestion and urban transport,

.18 September 1992 on saturation of air space and air traffic control,

.18 September 1992 on transport and regional development,

.18 September 1992 on the Green Paper on the impact of transport on the environment - a Community strategy for 'sustainable mobility',

.22 January 1992 on electric road vehicles for use in town,

.9 February 1993 on further steps towards an all-European transport policy - measures following the first European Transport Conference,

.12 March 1993 on a Community programme of action on road safety,

.12 March 1993 on development of maritime transport and the port system in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas,

-having regard to its interim resolution of 27 May 1993 on the White Paper on the future development of the common transport policy,

-having regard to the results of the hearing of 23 September 1993 on the White Paper (PE 207.067),

-having regard to the motions for resolutions by:

(a)Mr Blak, on the transport of dangerous goods (B3-1641/92),

(b)Mr Coimbra Martins and others, on airports and built-up areas (B3-1646/92),

(c)Miss McIntosh, on air traffic control (B3-1648/92),

(d)Mr Pannella, on a trans-Balkan communications network (B3-0133/93),

(e)Mr Staes, on transport of radioactive substances by air (B3-0486/93),

(f)Mr Sánchez García, on trans-European networks and the problems of the islands (B3-1131/93),

(g)Mr Bettini and Mr Langer, on rules to govern the use of motor-boats on major European lakes (B3-1142/93),

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinions of the Committee on Social Affairs, Employment and the Working Environment, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, and the Committee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and Relations with Regional and Local Authorities (A3-0390/93),

A.having regard to the importance of transport to European integration, economic recovery, employment, the operation of the internal market, relations with third countries and peoples' quality of life,

B.having regard to the still unresolved fundamental problems, such as the impact on the environment and living standards, the serious congestion, in particular in the air and on the roads and the resulting diseconomies, and modal and regional imbalances,

C.whereas the worrying assessments made by the Commission in the White Paper suggest that a new concept for the CTP needs to be drawn up and implemented as a matter of urgency, which, while remaining crucial to the success of the internal market, goes beyond it and sets the new objective of sustainable mobility and accessibility for outlying areas, correcting current uncoordinated trends towards renewed centralization, accompanied by extensive modal growth, and defining more clearly the structural relationship between socio-economic development, infrastructure facilities and transport,

D.whereas the causes of congestion and pressure on existing EC infrastructures must be identified and cured,

E.whereas sustainable mobility has to be part of the broader area of sustainable development; whereas, therefore, the avenues being explored by the Commission must be encompassed within a genuine European regional planning policy focusing, among other things, on the link between transport and an even spread of human and economic activities,

F.whereas the Council's recent decisions on the follow-up to be given to the White Paper do not take up or refer to the concept of sustainable mobility nor the connection between transport policy and economic policy,

G.whereas criteria for defining sustainable mobility should include specific environmental aims, criteria which foster the competitiveness of peripheral and island regions, higher safety standards and restrictions in respect of the social impact on employees and users,

H.whereas, to ensure that the objectives of the White Paper do not remain a mere statement of principle, the new concept of the CTP must take the form of a plan of action and a multi-annual framework legislative programme, containing timetables and priorities in respect of measures to be adopted, and a dynamic and positive application of the principle of subsidiarity; whereas provision must also be made for the necessary budgetary resources,

I.whereas policies to promote the integration of the transport system and the development of traffic relations with EEA countries (agreement on the European Economic Area), the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Mediterranean countries should lead to coherent infrastructure measures in the master plans of trans-European networks,

J.whereas to this end the Commission should be given a wide-ranging mandate enabling it to negotiate with third countries on the transport sector on behalf of the European Union,

K.whereas the various problems affecting passenger and goods transport, highly built-up metropolitan areas, island, peripheral or depopulated regions and transit areas call for more detailed assessments and more specific measures than those set out in the White Paper,

L.having regard to the limitations of present infrastructures in satisfying demand, even if used under optimum conditions, and the decrease in infrastructure investments from 1.5% to 1% of GDP between 1975 and 1990; whereas giving a boost to investments for the networks could make a significant contribution to balanced economic growth throughout the territory of the European Union, thus favouring the creation of permanent jobs,

M.whereas full development of inter-modal transport, as the central objective of the CTP, is the only means of restoring balance in modal distribution; whereas this should be pursued mainly through an increase in the volume of transport and in the market sectors most suited to modal adjustments, including transport by means of oil and gas pipelines and aqueducts, thus enabling each mode of transport to make the most of its potential in an integrated system supported by the optimal development of interfaces,

N.whereas the readjustment of the modal balance and multi-modal integration can only produce significant results if accompanied by a reorganization of road transport which, in the medium term, will continue to be the dominant mode of transport,

O.whereas a basic means of promoting readjustment and integration is to calculate total transport costs, including operating and external costs, to charge them, even partially and gradually, in a way that is consistent with economic and social development, regional cohesion, environmental and tax harmonization policy aims,

P.whereas a fairer and more effective transport tax policy must be accompanied by reductions in other areas of taxation,

Q.whereas State aid should comply with the principle of transparency and coherence with the objectives of the CTP, and be capable of eliminating the hidden aid resulting from the remaining social and fiscal dumping between the various modal and national systems,

R.whereas the White Paper's action plan should contain specific limits on emission levels to be respected, in order to achieve the goal of zero-emission vehicles by the year 2002, together with measures to link these limits to the growth in the number of vehicles and aircraft; whereas these objectives can be successful only if harmful emissions are also reduced in Central and Eastern Europe by modernizing modes of transport,

1.Calls on the Commission to provide the White Paper and first action programme with updated and more detailed information so as to take account of the different problems affecting passenger and goods transport, highly built-up and congested conurbations and peripheral areas and regions; calls also for details to be given of present and foreseeable volumes of transport on the main international links;

2.Calls for the Commission to adopt a multiannual framework legislative programme, including a timetable and priorities in respect of measures to be adopted, and for the framework programme to be implemented and updated by means of annual programmes that are consistent with the principle of smooth planning;

3.Calls on the Commission to submit to the Council and Parliament by 30 June 1995 a report on the extent to which the Maastricht Treaty can provide the options of the new concept of the CTP with a suitable legal basis; calls also on the Commission and Council to propose, in agreement with the European Parliament, procedures for involving the national parliaments in the definition of measures under the new concept of the CTP;

4.Draws attention to its previous statements that harmonization and liberalization should be parallel developments; notes that thus far attention has centred mainly on liberalization and urges the Commission and Council to take further steps towards harmonization (including social aspects and safety);

5.Considers that the construction of infrastructure and other measures designed to improve the operation of the transport system are important activities which contribute to economic recovery; calls on the Council, in view of the decisions at the Copenhagen summit, to make adequate funds available for this purpose;

6.Calls on the Commission to lay down in the first action programme:

-specific objectives with regard to emission levels, in line with the objectives of the fifth action programme 'towards sustainable development' and with a view to ensuring that zero-emission vehicles are ready to be marketed by the year 2002, CO2 emissions are stabilized at 1990 levels by the year 2000 and reduced by 20% by comparison with 1990 by 2005, and emissions of other harmful substances are reduced by 50% by comparison with 1990 by 2005,

-minimum common safety standards for all modes of transport, and, as a matter of urgency, for maritime and road transport,

-criteria for action designed to integrate the various aspects of regional planning: the accessibility and competitiveness of the peripheral areas, cohesion, regional development, specific island features and synergy with the Structural Funds,

-the objective of facilitating the transition to a European transport market with appropriate information and retraining measures for those directly concerned;

7.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to identify possibilities, wherever practical, of encouraging freight to be transported by rail and to promote measures in support of combined transport to increase interoperability between modes of transport;

8.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take positive measures to encourage the transport of people and goods by sea, putting safety measures as a top priority;

9.Considers that the social aspects of the CTP are the joint responsibility of the EC institutions and the social partners and their umbrella organizations and that an adequate consultation structure and strengthening of the social dialogue should be considered more carefully in the CTP;

10.Calls on the Commission and Council to lay down, in line with the Social Charter, protection standards relating to working conditions of employees, and particularly working hours, on the basis of the specific features of each mode of transport;

11.Calls on the Commission to start discussions in the Member States on the adjustment by road haulage operators to the liberalization of the European market such that this adjustment to the altered conditions of competition takes place without endangering the safety and rights of workers and transport;

12.Points out that the differing sizes of transport undertakings (including owner/drivers) play a significant role in the working conditions in the road haulage and inland waterways sector;

13.Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, to enforce working hours for transport staff for obvious health and safety reasons, in order to avoid fatigue-related errors;

14.Draws attention to the various Community and non-Community bodies and programmes which deal with the transport of people with reduced mobility, and calls on the Commission to coordinate and draw together their various experiences before commissioning new projects or studies in this field;

15.Calls on the Commission to lay down, in cooperation with the Member States, minimum quality standards for transport services, which would help public and private operators in the sector to draw up 'quality charters' for passenger and goods transport;

16.Notes that, partly as a result of the recession, the financial position of undertakings operating in the transport sector is generally a matter for concern; notes that in the case of road transport 80% takes place within a 100 km radius with no viable alternatives; warns that increasing taxes will unfairly create even greater difficulties for this sector; urges therefore that additional taxes should be linked with the development of alternative means of transport and that the extra revenue should be channelled into the transport sector;

17.Calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure mutual recognition and transparency in professional qualifications in the transport sector and to encourage fully the development of vocational training in this sector, gradually harmonizing the diversity of existing national qualification systems;

18.Calls for checks to be carried out by 30 June 1995 on the networks' master plans to ascertain whether they comply with the objectives of the White Paper and the priorities laid down in the action programme contained therein; calls also for the networks' master plans to give priority to modal interface systems, missing links, bottlenecks in international transport links, the connection of outlying areas and technical interoperability and harmonization;

19.Believes, as far as transport infrastructure is concerned, that absolute priority must be given to environmentally less harmful modes of transport, for example shipping, inland waterway transport, rail networks, and non-motorized personal transport; is of the opinion, further, that integrated regional development will enable the uncontrolled growth of the present traffic volume to be avoided;

20.Calls for rigorous regional development and safety impact assessments, economic cost-benefit analyses, studies on the relation between the capital to be invested and jobs created in the long term and environmental impact assessments (possibly cross-border) to be carried out on all infrastructure projects co-funded by the Community; calls for a decision to be made in favour of the least polluting option in coordinating expenditure and for the funding of new infrastructure to commence only when the optimum use of existing infrastructure has been achieved;

21.Notes that under the Treaty on European Union, the Committee of the Regions has a role to play with regard to trans-European networks and that local and regional authorities need to be involved as closely as possible in infrastructure network planning in order to guarantee efficiency and compliance with the subsidiarity principle;

22.Calls for further investigation of and experiments with the use of renewable technologies in the transport sector, such as the construction of underground infrastructures, dynamic road management (smart roads) and further development of telematics;

23.Calls on the Commission to ensure that when the first multiannual action programme is submitted, the direct operating costs and external costs of transport are established for each mode and a proposal is drawn up for charging total costs, using a uniform Community system, possibly on a graduated and differentiated basis to take account of geographical - including peripheral or insular - situation and economic factors;

24.Proposes that the resources obtained through the tax policy be fully re-utilized for the objectives of the CTP;

25.Believes that state aids in the transport sector should be transparent in order to avoid distortions of competition and that the system of national aid should be framed on the basis of criteria of Community compatibility; also believes it is indispensable to monitor the consistency of aids granted with the new concept of the CTP; warns against the hidden aids constituted by the residual social and tax dumping between the various modal and national sectors;

26.Calls on the Commission to submit concrete financial engineering proposals for the funding of infrastructure networks, including joint public and private funding, in full compliance with the principles of additionality and complementarity; calls for the substantial resources which the Community allocates to transport infrastructure in connection with the trans-European networks or under the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund to be exactly in line with the priorities set out in the White Paper and this resolution; calls on the Commission to ensure that the above funds operate in a coordinated, coherent, and transparent way;

27.Considers it essential that cross-border regions should benefit from a coherent transport policy to aid those regions and the Community proper; believes that funds will have to be provided under Interreg, not least to promote public transport in cases where it has been adversely affected by the structural impediment posed by national frontiers;

28.Calls on the Commission to establish, in the context of the fourth RTD framework programme, priority objectives for research and development in the transport sector, in line with the aims and questions raised in the White Paper (clean engines, vehicles and fuels, information systems to optimize management and traffic safety, safe and fast types of vessel for coastal shipping and efficient and inexpensive trans-shipment systems at ports);

29.Calls for Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of railways to be implemented; calls on the Commission to submit as a matter of urgency further proposals to facilitate implementation; considers it essential that the sectors of the market most suited to this mode of transport should be identified in order to make railway companies more market oriented;

30.Considers that combined transport should be defined as a mode of transport in its own right as a basis for establishing new rules of competition and cooperation between companies operating in the transport system; calls on the Commission to set up forms of support for terminals, loading systems, information systems and the creation of new intermodal companies; considers it vital in this connection that seaports and inland ports be given their proper place as natural interfaces and terminals for intermodal transport;

31.Calls on the Commission and Council to devise measures as a matter of urgency to tackle the structural crisis facing airline companies, which has been aggravated by the economic recession and increased international competition, including the safeguard measures provided for in the 'third package' and more regular monitoring of tariff levels; recalls the urgent need to make provision for a single air traffic control system and to expand the infrastructure capacities of airports; calls on the Commission to develop modal integration between air transport and other modes of transport, especially railways;

32.Calls on the Commission to consider measures to improve coordination between the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), NATO, Eurocontrol and the national civil aviation authorities in air traffic control; calls on the Commission also to consult certain third countries who have a direct influence on the Community's air traffic control situation and policy;

33.Calls on the Council to approve as a matter of urgency the package of positive measures in support of the Community fleet, together with a plan of aid for the recovery of the sector, including the definition of Community shipowner; calls on the Commission to ensure that the action plan contained in the communication on maritime safety is implemented as soon as possible and emphasizes the importance of adequate professional training; considers it essential that seaports and inland ports be given their proper place within the trans-European networks, among other things as intermodal terminals; appeals to the Council in particular to take a decision to set up the European shipping register (EUROS) without delay, since it is only in this way that it will be possible to put a stop to the dangerous trend towards flags of convenience;

34.Stresses the importance of coastal shipping and inland waterway transport as an alternative mode of transport for long-distance traffic and calls for measures to harmonize competition, in particular with regard to the fleets of countries of Central and Eastern Europe and restructuring measures to promote a more flexible capacity; reiterates the need for modal integration, in particular with the railway network;

35.Renews its call for a trans-European network of oil and gas pipelines and aqueducts, to be set up under the CTP, and calls on the Commission to draw up a legislative proposal in which transport by pipeline is recognized to be part of the CTP, making provision for the following:

(a)adoption of harmonized safety standards (governing construction and operation) applying to all Member States,

(b)technical standards for advanced technologies,

(c)abolition of discrimination in national terms,

(d)inclusion of pipeline transport infrastructure in the infrastructure programme,

(e)planning of a complete pipeline corridor network on Community territory as advocated in its resolution of 14 September 1988 on promoting transport by pipeline in the Community;

36.Calls on the Commission, with regard to road transport, to:

-identify those areas of the market in which a modal shift would be possible,

-evaluate and present proposals for the charging of costs on the basis of the degree of utilization of infrastructures,

-develop a method of gradual registration of capacities at critical points of the system accompanied by proposals for alternative systems,

-promote research into engines, vehicles and fuels that are less harmful to the environment and the adoption of more stringent measures,

-promote an increase in load units per unit of transport and finalize proposals for reducing empty trips, partly through the development of management information systems,

-provide for a revision of Regulation (EEC) No. 3820/85 on the basis of a more realistic definition of 'driving time', which the Council should approve as a matter of urgency;

37.Believes that every person should enjoy the personal right of mobility, according to his own needs, particularly as regards the disabled, and that the establishment of an efficient urban transport system capable of encouraging the use of public transport and bicycles and taking account of environmental protection requirements is essential to the exercise of this right; calls on the Commission to develop RTD for urban areas and to put forward telematic applications thereof which can optimize traffic management and reduce travel (e.g. work at home); recalls that mobility plays an essential role in the integration of people with reduced mobility into working life and believes it is therefore essential to direct part of the resources allocated to the HORIZON programme to this objective;

38.Emphasizes the need to focus on the mobility of the elderly not only in the context of the European Year of the Elderly and of solidarity among the generations but also in future years and to assist pilot projects in this sphere in consultation with organizations representing the elderly throughout the European Union and to disseminate their results as widely as possible;

39.As regards external relations, reiterates its conviction that Articles 61, 75, 84(2) and 228 of the EC Treaty are the correct legal basis for agreements in the transport sector; reaffirms the need, with regard to Community negotiations with third countries, for a gradual approach and respect for reciprocity and other general principles underlying the new CTP; proposes that the results of the Prague Pan-European Conference, the second conference to be held in Crete and the preparatory conferences for the latter be considered as part and parcel of the White Paper; considers that the role of the Community as such should be consolidated in international bodies operating in the sector;

40.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the governments and parliaments of the EFTA countries and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.