Euro Contrôle Route
Annual Report 2004
Foreword
Dear reader,
The annual report is the reflection of what has been done and achieved over the past year by Euro Contrôle Route (ECR) and its members. It is not only a moment to look back to share our successes or to evaluate what could be improved. The annual report also serves the purpose of sharing information and developments with others, including non-ECR members.
During 2004 a number of coordinated inspections were performed; and specific branches of transport were selected to receive results on a European scale. The outcome of the inspections shows that non-compliance rates differ from country to country. On a regular basis and occasionally for the purpose of actual investigations, information between ECR members was exchanged. Several inspectors participated in exchange programs to share information and to exchange views. In short, these steps were taken to obtain more knowledge, necessary to fulfil our role as inspection authorities and to contribute to transport safety.
Communication was one of the key words for 2004. ECR has considered it necessary to inform the public as quickly as possible about the global outcome of joint inspections. A special occasion to inform the public about the existence and the activities of ECR was the fifth anniversary celebrated in October 2004 at the Luxemburg/Belgian ‘border’. Several Ministers of Transport visited this happening and ECR members demonstrated their equipment on that occasion.
ECR’s celebration was used to mark the cooperation in the field with TISPOL by signing a Letter of Intent. Both organizations have felt the need to coordinate their European activities and to exchange best practices.
East meets West! The enlargement of the European Union with ten new members on the first of May 2004 was a major step in history. A free movement of goods and passengers between East and West will increase the number of transport activities. It is of great importance that the scope of transport safety will be enlarged together with the new members. During 2004 the Polish Transport Inspectorate expressed its wish to become member of ECR. It is a pleasure to mention that at the end of 2004 ECR grew to ten members, including Austria. One of the pre accession members – Roumania – has already applied for the observer status at ECR.
I should like to take the opportunity to thank all representatives of ECR members for their contributions.
Marco Buitelaar, Chairman Euro Contrôle Route
Contents
Foreword
Contents
1Introduction
1.1Short history
1.2General aim and mission statement
1.3General development in 2004
1.4How to read this report
2Participating countries and organisations
2.1ECR members
Country
2.2Participants from the observing countries
Country
2.3ECR secretariat
2.4Introduction of the new ECR members Poland and Austria
2.4.1Polish Road Transport Inspection
2.4.2Austrian Federal Office for Transport
3ECR’s fifth anniversary celebration
4Organisation of ECR
5Relation with other international projects or working groups
5.1TISPOL
5.2Remove (Requirements for Enforcement of Overloaded Vehicles in Europe)
5.2.1Background of the REMOVE project
5.2.2REMOVE’s objective
5.2.3State of affairs activities REMOVE 2004
5.3ADR monitoring issues working group
5.3.1Short history
5.3.2Activities in 2004
6Activities in 2004
6.1Steering Committee
6.2Operational working group (ECR/OPS)
Overload transport
Country
Total
Country
Country
Total
6.3International Training and Exchange Programme (ECR/exchange)
6.4Data Exchange working group (ECR/ED)
6.5Harmonisation working group (ECR/Har)
6.5.1Introduction of the new working group ECR/Har
6.5.2Aims
6.6Formation Commune ADR (ECR/Formad)
6.6.1Aims
6.6.2Activities
6.7Website project group (ECR/Web)
6.8Internal Regulation project group (ECR/RI)
7Long term aims and objectives
1
1Introduction
1.1Short history
Euro Contrôle Route (ECR) is the name for the cooperation of operational transport inspection staff from different European Ministries of Transport. This cooperation takes place within the framework of the Administrative Arrangement[1], signed on 5th October 1999 by the Ministers of Transport of the Benelux countries and France. Since then, the group of countries participating in the ECR cooperation has expanded. In 2003 eight countries formed the ECR cooperation and in 2004 Poland and Austria officially joined the Arrangement. At present, therefore, ten countries[2] form the ECR cooperation. In 2004 Romania and Norway showed an interest in the ECR cooperation and attended consultation meetings as observers.
1.2General aim and mission statement
The general aim for the cooperation is to attain, through consultation, cooperation and common initiatives, and the most efficient and harmonised check practices possible in the participating countries and – ideally – throughout Europe.
Mission Statement: Euro-Contrôle-Route is a group of European Transport Inspection Services working together to enhance the quality of enforcement in order to improve road safety, compliance with road transport legislation and to promote fair competition.
1.3General development in 2004
During 2004 the level of cooperation within ECR was further enhanced: in particular more attention was paid to in-company inspections, it planned action weeks in which 16 inspections with specific subjects were carried out and the internet site was renewed.
Furthermore several important things were achieved: the statement of intention between ECR and TISPOL was signed in Luxemburg on 6 October 2004 and the first meeting between Morocco, France, Spain, the Benelux and TISPOL took place. To conclude, ECR celebrated its fifth anniversary.
1.4How to read this report
In this report the ECR cooperation gives insight into its development and activities in 2004, the results, and the long-term objectives and targets.
It does so by summing up the ECR participants and introducing the two new ECR members (chapter 2), reporting the celebration of ECR’s fifth anniversary (chapter 3), informing the reader about the organisation of ECR (chapter 4) and reviewing the relation of ECR with other international projects or working groups (chapter 5).
In chapter 6 the activities undertaken by the working groups and project groups in 2004 are described and chapter 7 discusses briefly the long-term aims and objectives.
2Participating countries and organisations
2.1ECR members
Country
/ OrganisationThe Netherlands / Inspectie Verkeer en Waterstaat, divisie Vervoer
Belgium / Federale Overheidsdienst Mobiliteit en Vervoer, Directoraat Generaal Vervoer te Land
Luxemburg / Direction des Douanes et Accises, Division Attributions Sécuritaires
France / Ministère de l’Equipement des transports, de l’aménagement du territoire, du tourisme et de la mer, Direction des Transports Terrestres
Germany / Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen,Bundesamt für Güterverkehr
Ireland / Department of Transport, Road Haulage Division
United Kingdom / Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Spain / Ministerio de Fomento, Inspección de los Transportes por carretera
Poland / Ministerstwo Infrastruktury, Glówny Inspectorat Transportu Drogowego
Austria / Bundesanstalt für Verkehr
2.2Participants from the observing countries
Country
/ OrganisationRomania / Ministerul Transporturilor, Autoritatea Rutierã Romãnã
Norway / Justis- og Politidepartementet, Utrykningspolitiet
2.3ECR secretariat
Since the formation of ECR in 1999 its secretariat has been provided by the General Secretariat of the Benelux Economic Union, established in Brussels, Regentschapsstraat 39[3]. The reason for this can be found in the cooperation between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on transport and more specifically in the formation of the ‘Checks’ working group (which comes under the Benelux Transport Commission). In 1998 France became a member of this cooperation.
In 2004, after ECR had expanded to 10 countries, it was agreed to retain its secretariat with the General Secretariat of the Benelux and the decision was taken to strengthen this secretariat by hiring an additional administrator to be compensated for 80% via the ECR budget.
2.4Introduction of the new ECR members Poland and Austria
2.4.1Polish Road Transport Inspection
The Polish Road Transport Inspection started its control activity in 2002. Since then it has worked as a specialised control entity, with 300 inspectors working on the Polish roads. Its main tasks include the:
-Improvement of the road traffic safety
-Improvement of quality of services rendered within the road transport
-Improvement of the road infrastructure
-Improvement of the economic development and regulation of the transport sector
-Improvement of work conditions
-Better environment protection
-Elimination of unfair competition
Since October 2002 the inspectors of the Road Transport Inspection have conducted over 300000 road checks of vehicles and issued almost 85.000 administrative decisions of punishment for infringing road transport laws as a result.
The Road Transport Inspection consists of the General Inspectorate of Road Transport and 16 Voivodeship Inspectorates. In provinces with more road traffic, representations of the Voivodeship Road Transport Inspectorates have been created to perform tasks better and improve the efficiency of controls in the provinces.
The General Inspector of Road Transport is Mr Seweryn Kaczmarek, and the Deputy General Inspector is Mr Tomasz Połeć.
2.4.2Austrian Federal Office for Transport
The Austrian Federal Office for Transport is directly linked to the Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology. Its core activities are:
-Roadside enforcement
-Technical checks
-Type approval
-Implementing the digital tachograph
-Accident investigation on all types of transport
In the field of roadside enforcement the Federal Office for Transport is coordinating all roadside technical inspection activities throughoutAustriafor all organizations involved (9 provincial inspection organizations, police, labour protection and road-toll inspection).
There are 10 mobile vehicle inspection units and 2 mobile chemical labs in use for roadside enforcement. In the field of driving- and resting-time automatic chart analysis systems are in place, which are also capable of dealing with the new digital tachograph.
3ECR’s fifth anniversary celebration
On 6th October 2004 ECR celebrated its first five years of existence. The ECR members decided, under Luxembourg´s chairmanship, to make it a memorable 5th anniversary.
The programme included a joint check conducted on the Belgian-Luxembourg border in Sterpenich, where the guests got a chance to look at the inspection vehicles that are used in the different ECR countries during such traffic checks. The real crowd-puller of this exhibition was the inspection vehicle from Austria: a mobile vehicle inspection unit for technical roadside inspections.
During the joint check 80 vehicles were checked, of which 8 were in violation. In total 11 infringements were found: 4 in the EC Regulation 3820/85, 4 in the EC Regulation 3821/85, 2 in the Regulation on Community Licences (881/92) and 1 in the Traffic Regulations.
The guests included a number of prominent figures and ministers, such as the transport ministers Lucien Lux (Luxembourg), Karla Peijs (Netherlands), Manfred Stolpe (Germany) and Krzysztof Opawski (Poland), as well as Mr Ben Hennekam, Secretary General of the Benelux. The presence of all these personalities and the press indicates a growing interest in the ECR cooperation and signifies a stimulus for the future.
The joint check was festively concluded with a reception in the Threeland Hotel in Pétange with 160 guests. After the cordial welcome by Minister Lux, who stressed the importance of this cooperation, ECR and TISPOL (the European network of road transport police) signed a statement of intent. For more information about the intention, see § 5.1.
On 7 October 2004 – during the European Transport Council in Luxembourg – the 8 transport ministers of the then current Euro Contrôle Routemember countries signed the accession protocols for Poland and Austria.
The presentation brochure of Euro Contrôle Route, including the 2003 annual report, which was published on the occasion of this fifth anniversary, can be found on the ECR internet site (see § 6.7) or obtained from the ECR secretariat by request via e-mail:
4Organisation of ECR
ECR is governed by the Steering Committee. This committee monitors the progress made on the objectives of ECR, makes the necessary decisions for implementing the cooperation, and gives this cooperation new impulse.
The General Secretariat of the Benelux acts as the secretariat for ECR and has its office in Brussels (see § 2.3).
The Steering Committee has set up five working groups to study technical and operational issues and to prepare proposals:
-OPS: the Operational working group
-Exchange: International Training and Exchange Programme
-ED (Echange de Données): the data exchange working group
-Har: the harmonisation working group
-Formad: Common Formation ADR
In 2004 two project groups were started:
-ECR/RI: internal regulation
-ECR website
These project groups will be discontinued when they will have reached their aims.
5Relation with other international projects or working groups
5.1TISPOL
The cross border activities in the present area of enforcement are not solely the responsibility of the ECR enforcement bodies. The traffic police forces in the different member states are also involved in this line of enforcement. Because of the overlap in enforcement activities, it has been decided that there should be a liaison between the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) and ECR.
The operational working groups of both ECR and TISPOL form the linchpin between the two entitiesin practice. The actual linkage is created by the participation of ECR in the TISPOL operational working group and vice versa. Also, they occasionally organise joint road transport checks. Nevertheless, both TISPOL and ECR retain their own independence and autonomy.
On 6 October during ECR’s fifth anniversary the liaison was formalised by the subscription of the statement of intention between ECR and TISPOL by ECR’s chairman (Mr J. Piscitelli) and TISPOL’s president (Mr A. Hellemons). In signing this statement of intent, the two parties made it clear that they wish to work together more closely in order to increase traffic safety, without however losing their individual identities.
In the statement of intention ECR and TISPOL explicitly express the wish to:
-Reduce the number of persons killed and injured on the road
-Bring about the harmonisation of the European inspection on traffic of persons and goods
-Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the inspection
5.2Remove (Requirements for Enforcement of Overloaded Vehicles in Europe)
5.2.1Background of the REMOVE project
Road transport of goods by overloaded trucks creates a number of serious problems on Europe's main roads (Trans European Road Network) as well as on other road networks. These include safety, mobility and last but not least considerable extra costs for additional maintenance/repair of the roads. As road transport by trucks increases, these problems become more and more serious. At the same time overloading undermines the system of fair competition in the EU.
The traditional way of checking on overloading by the police or by traffic inspectorates requires the vehicle to stop in order to guide it over a fixed or mobile roadside weigh system. The number of trucks that can be controlled using these methods is only a fraction of the total number of trucks on the roads and requires a lot of staff. Furthermore a lot of non-overloaded trucks are selected for control, causing unnecessary delay for transport companies that respect the rules and unnecessary costs and waste of resources to the community as a whole.
Therefore a new type of enforcement was developed, based on the use of a new technology: Weigh-In-Motion (WIM). Weigh-in-Motion enables the enforcement agencies to increase the number of checks on trucks drastically whilst facilitating the free flow for non-overloaded vehicles. The WIM-system is based on the principle that sensors, integrated in the road surface, combined with technology that identifies the vehicle automatically, weigh all axles of all trucks that pass the checkpoint and detect vehicle type, speed and gross weight (mass).
5.2.2REMOVE’s objective
The overall objective of the REMOVE project (started on 1 March 2004) is to present to the European Commission the requirements (strategic, tactical, legal, technical and operational) for the harmonised and interoperable deployment of Weigh-In-Motion systems throughout the EU, in order to reduce the danger and damage caused by overloaded vehicles.
5.2.3State of affairs activities REMOVE 2004
The REMOVE project consists of five work packages: legal issues, technical issues, operational issues, cost/benefit analysis and co-ordination/management. All work packages are on schedule.
5.3ADR monitoring issues working group
5.3.1Short history
When in 1998 the Dutch Transport Inspectorate felt the necessity of a European wide meeting with regard to the enforcement of rules set out in the ADR (road transport of dangerous goods), it had an once-only meeting in mind. During this meeting it became clear that the enforcement bodies and policymakers present all felt the need to discuss this item European wide. This became the ad hoc ADR monitoring issues working group. Since 1998 it has met almost once every year in Scheveningen, Bonn, Vienna, Paris, Luxembourg and Hamburg.
This informal working group provides a platform for policymakers and enforcement staff to discuss the enforcement of ADR, which in turn is part of the directive EC 95/50 (uniform control procedures). This directive forms the basis for the working group. Since 2003 a representative of the European Commission attends the meetings of the working group and he has used the proposals, made by the working group, for the redraft of the above-mentioned directive.
5.3.2Activities in 2004
In 2004 this working group held its meeting in Bergen (Norway). Many issues were discussed during this meeting:
-Germany presented its ‘national situation report dangerous goods’[4].
-As a result of the discussion on the deficiencies from third countries it was pointed out that, in the future, accession states should also be represented at this meeting.
-As the new regulations of chapter 1.10 ADR came into force on 1st January 2005, this chapter was an item of discussion. A special international meeting on this subject was held in the UK. Besides the technical problems on the enforcement of load securing, a few other technical and practical cases were introduced by the Netherlands. Many interesting interpretations of the ADR regulations were heard, also from the point of view of the daily practice of enforcement.
-A discussion paper was introduced by the Netherlands and the UKentitled‘A New Basis for Transport of Dangerous Goods’.
-Directive 95/50 was enriched by annex II: categorising dangerous goods.