European conference of ministers of transport : sixth annual report.

69 Pages·1960·2.726 MB·English

by  OECD

EUROPEAN
CONFERENCE
OF MINISTERS
OF TRANSPORT
SIXTH
ANNUAL
REPORT
4th MARCH, I960

Secretariat ofthe E.C.M.T.
3, rue Andre-Pascal
'" Paris-16e
CONTENTS
Chapter I
General review of the working of the Conference and its external
relations (cid:9) 7
Chapter II
General review of the transport situation(cid:9) 11
a) Overall results for the period 1956-1959 (cid:9) 11
b) Analysis of results for 1959 (cid:9)'(cid:9) 12
c) Prospects for 1960(cid:9) 18
d) Long-term prospects (cid:9) 18
Chapter III
Improvement and development of European main lines of communica¬
tion. Co-ordination and financing of investment(cid:9) 21
a) Railways (cid:9):(cid:9) : (cid:9) 21
b) Roads (cid:9) 22
c) Inland waterways(cid:9) 26
d) Pipeline transport (cid:9) 28
e) Links with the large seaports (cid:9) 28
/) Channel Tunnel (cid:9) 29
g) Co-ordination and financing ofinvestment(cid:9) 30
Chapter IV
Railway problems(cid:9) 33
a) Financial situation of the railways (cid:9) 33
b) Standardization of railway rolling stock and order programmes(cid:9) 35
c) Activities of the Eurofima Company (cid:9) 37
Chapter V
Road transport problems (cid:9) 39
a) Improvement of road transport statistics(cid:9) 39
b) Problems concerning the weights and dimensions ofroad vehicles.. . 39
c) Problems concerning road safety (cid:9) 40
d) Regulations affecting international road transport(cid:9) 42
Chapter VI
Problems concerning inland waterways transport (cid:9),,,, 43
Chapter VII
General problems (cid:9) 45
a) Co-ordination of transport (cid:9) 45
b) Organisation and development ofcombined transport(cid:9) 45
c) Transport on own account (cid:9) 46
d) Transport of highly radioactive materials (cid:9) 48
e) Problems of common interest to tourism and transport(cid:9) 48
/) Co-operationbetweensurfaceandairtransport(cid:9) 49
ANNEXES
I. Organisation Chart of the E.C.M.T. (cid:9) 53
II. O.E.E.C.'s comments on the 5th Annual Report of the E.C.M.T....'. 55
III. Resolution No. 166 (1959) ofthe Consultative Assembly ofthe Council
ofEurope, inreplytothe 5th Annual Report oftheE.C.M.T(cid:9) 57
IV. ThirdAnnualReportsubmittedbytheEurofimaCompanyinapplication
ofArticle6 b ofthe Convention(cid:9) 6l'
V. Normalization ofrailway accounts. (Tables drawn up by the U.I.C.) ... 67
Thisdocument has been circulated
within the E.C.M.T. under the symbol CM(60) 1 final
GENERAL REVIEW OF THE WORKING
OF THE CONFERENCE
AND ITS EXTERNAL RELATIONS
1. At its meeting on 20th October 1959, the Council of Ministers
ofTransport elected its officers for the current year, in accordance with
its Rules of Procedure. The officers are the Ministers of Transport of
the Netherlands (Chairman), Austria (1st Vice-Chairman) and Norway
(2nd Vice-Chairman).
2. During 1959, the Committee of Deputies held five sessions.
It was assisted by the following subsidiary bodies:
TheCommitteefortheCo-ordinationofInvestment, responsible,
withthe help ofthree specialised Sub-committees on Investment
in Railways, Roads and Inland Waterways, for implementing
ResolutionNo. 7(General Problems)oftheCouncilofMinisters,
and for keeping the development of transport under review,
as provided in Resolution No. 11, so as to draw appropriate
conclusions concerning investment requirements (see Chap¬
ter III). In accordance with instructions from the Council
ofMinisters, this year the Committee also studied the financing
of investment and the development of the European pipeline
network with the resulting problems affecting transport policy ;
An " ad hoc " Group to follow up the implementation of
Resolution No. 10 on the financial situation of the railways
(see Chapter IV);
An " ad hoc " Group to study the question ofstandard weights
and dimensions of road vehicles (see Chapter VZ>);
An " ad hoc" Group given the task of studying the improve¬
ment of road transport statistics (see Chapter Va);
A new " ad hoc" Group set up under instructions from the
Council of Ministers to study road safety problems (see Chap¬
ter Vc);
Finally, the Inland Waterways Committee, to follow the
implementation of the Resolutions of the Council of Ministers
concerning waterways.
3. The Restricted Groups, formed in accordance with Article VIII
ofthe Conference Protocol, have continued their activities, as is shown
later in this report. Their aims are as follows:
a) One group, which consists of all Member countries except
one, follows the activities of the Eurofima Company (see
Chapter IVc);
b) The second group, which consists of the Member countries
of the European Economic Community (E.E.C), prepares
information for communication to the E.C.M.T. on transport
problems dealt with in the E.E.C. and assembles the views of
E.C.M.T. countries which are members ofthe E.E.C. on these
problems. During 1959, this Group met twice at Ministerial
level;
c) The other sixteen groups keep under review the development
of the main road links between adjacent countries, as shown
later in this report (see Chapter lllb). An organisation chart
of the E.C.M.T. is given as Annex I.
4. The O.E.E.C. has continued to provide the necessary material
facilitiesforthe operation ofthe E.C.M.T., and the Council ofMinisters
takes this opportunity of expressing once more its warm appreciation
of the services rendered.
5. Working relations between the E.C.M.T. and the O.E.E.C.
have been developed still further during the past year, through a liaison
group consisting ofthe officers ofthe Committee ofDeputies and three
members ofthe Council oftheO.E.E.C. This co-operation has covered
such questions as the easing ofrestrictions on international road trans¬
port (see Chapter Vd), the study ofproblems ofjoint interest to tourism
andtransport(seeChapterHie)andproblems raisedbythe construction
and operation of a pipeline network (see ChapterIllci). The influence
ofthe energy economy onthe demand for transport and thepreparation
oflong-term transport forecasts (see Chapter lid) have been studied in
close co-operation. The comments ofthe O.E.E.C. on the FifthAnnual
Report ofthe E.C.M.T., which have been closely examined, are repro¬
duced as Annex II.
6. The E.C.M.T. continues to examine relations with the Council
ofEurope. On23rdApril 1959, theChairmanoftheCouncilofMinisters
of Transport presented the Fifth Annual Report of the E.C.M.T. to
the Consultative Assembly. After the ensuing discussion, the Assembly
adopted a Resolution addressed to the Conference (Resolution No. 166,
reproduced as Annex III), in response to which the Ministers have
taken positive action on a large number of points, as shown later in
this Report. Co-operation has also been established for the study of
thevariousaspectsoftrafficand roadsafetyproblems whichareincluded
under various headings in the Agenda ofboth organisations (see Chap¬
ter Vc).
7. The close co-operation which exists with the Transport Division
of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on a large
8
number of questions has continued to give excellent results. The
Director ofthe Division has taken an active part in the principal studies
undertaken by theConference, which has thus been able to take account
of the work done at Geneva and avoid duplication.
8. Accepting a suggestion by the Central Office for International
Railway Transport, at Bern, the E.C.M.T. established working relations
with that body during 1959; at present, these mainly concern certain
questions arising out of the forthcoming revision of the International
Conventions concerning the carriage of passengers (C.I.V.), the car¬
riage ofgoods (C.I.M.) [seeChapter VTIe] and the transport of radioac¬
tive materials (see Chapter VIW).
9. At the invitation of the Central Commission for the Navigation
of the Rhine, an E.C.M.T. Representative attended the Economic
Conference on the Rhine, which opened at Strasbourg on 2nd July
1959. The work ofthis Conference is being followed with great interest
(see Chapter VI).
10. The contacts with the European Economic Community (E.E.C),
which were established last year on the initiative of the Chairman of
the E.C.M.T., have been continued, particularly through the Restricted
Group referred to above (see paragraph 3b). It should be mentioned
that, in some of the reports approved by the Council ofMinisters, data
referring to the overall situation of the six Member countries of the
E.E.C. are now given in addition to the usual figures applicable to the
E.C.M.T. countries as a whole.
11. In Stockholm, on 4th January 1960, seven Member countries
of the E.C.M.T., Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Swit¬
zerland and the United Kingdom, signed a Convention establishing
a " European Free Trade Association". This Convention does not
contain any provisions specifically relating to transport.
12. At the invitation of the European Civil Aviation Conference
(E.C.A.C), the E.C.M.T. was represented at its Strasbourg Session in
March 1959, and was thus kept informed of the work done by this
body, which so far does not affect problems within its competence.
13. Relations with the non-governmental international organisations
were continued both within the subsidiary bodies of the Conference
and at the level ofthe Committee ofDeputies: a special meeting ofthe
latterwas devotedto a veryfruitfulgeneraldiscussion ofalltheproblems
raised by the organisations or included on the agenda of the Council
of Ministers. The action to be taken on the comments made by the
organisations is being carefully considered. To mark the interest
which it takes in the activities of the non-governmental international
organisations, the E.C.M.T. follows their work attentively and willingly
sends representatives to the principal meetings organised by them.