Madam Chairman, Ministers,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure
for me, as Executive Secretary of the
UNECE, to take part in this historic session
of the ECMT Council of Ministers. As many
other speakers have done, I wish to warmly
congratulate the ECMT on its 50th Anniversary.
I also wish to express my gratitude to
you, Madam Chairman, and through you to
the Belgian Government, for hosting this
session here in Brussels, the town where
the ECMT was born a half a century ago.
A 50th Anniversary is
an excellent opportunity, not only to
pay tribute to past achievements, but
also to look into the future and prepare
for the challenges ahead. In 1997, at
its own 50th Anniversary, the UNECE also
reviewed its strategic directions, restructured
its activities and improved its working
methods in order to be more efficient,
more flexible and more focused.
I am pleased to see that
the ECMT has similarly taken such a healthy
initiative. I wish to warmly congratulate
the United Kingdom Government, in particular
Mr. John Stevens, the Chairman of the
Review Group, on the high quality work
that he has carried out and on the excellent
document he has prepared as a basis for
the review.
Indeed, the report addresses
the main issues and the key challenges.
I welcome, particularly, the emphasis
placed on cooperation with other organizations,
including the UNECE and its Inland Transport
Committee.
We realize that the ECMT
and the UNECE have similar memberships.
We both provide competent and efficient
forums where all member countries, whatever
their size or their level of development,
can take part in discussions and decision-making
on an equal footing. We also share the
same goals: we both strive to establish
the framework condition for ensuring efficient
mobility of persons and goods, avoiding
congestion, preventing and reducing pollution,
diminishing the risk of road accidents,
developing infrastructure and facilitating
border crossings. While dealing with these
issues, the ECMT and UNECE complement
each other. Our secretariats participate
in each other's meetings and maintain
excellent working relations.
While this situation
is already more than satisfactory, we
must always try to do more. I therefore
fully share your aspiration to further
strengthen our cooperation and I am ready
to contribute thereto. As you know, the
UNECE has provided to the Council every
year since 1997 updated information on
UNECE activities in the area of transport.
More recently, we have proposed the organization
as from 2004 or 2005 of joint ECMT-UNECE
meetings on specific issues, such as Rail
or Combined Transport. In this way, we
will not only reduce the number of meetings,
but will also more effectively promote
rail and combined transport, thereby contributing
to sustainable transport and sustainable
development.
Furthermore, in order
to address the issues and challenges of
post-enlargement Europe, rather than each
organization addressing them separately,
we have also proposed that the Seminar
on Main Issues in the Development and
Planning of Pan-European Transport Infrastructure,
originally scheduled by ECMT to be held
in November this year, be jointly organized
by ECMT and UNECE. I hope that the European
Commission will not only play a leading
role in this Seminar, but will also consider
it as a part of and a major step in its
"Wider Europe" process. I also believe
that, in addition to pan-European issues,
this Seminar should also address Euro-Asian
transport links.
Finally, I would like
to recall that the UNECE is cooperating
with WHO in the framework of the Transport,
Health and Environment Pan-European Programme.
I would like to invite ECMT to play a
major role in this inter-sectoral initiative,
aimed also at achieving sustainable transport
and sustainable development.
Madam Chairman, Ministers, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
The development of an
integrated efficient, safe and sustainable
transport system in non-acceding countries
in Eastern and South-eastern Europe as
well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia,
as a key factor for sustainable development
of these countries and for their integration
in the European and global economy, will
be a major challenge for our organizations
in the coming years. Taking up this challenge
successfully requires the close cooperation
of all concerned, Governments, the EU
and international organizations like ECMT
and UNECE. I would like to assure you
that the UNECE is ready and willing to
play its part.
Madam Chairman, Ministers,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, let
me conclude by wishing the ECMT another
50 years of useful work to the benefit
of its member countries.
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