On 1 May 2004, ten New Member States joined the European Union. The nature and extent of the effects that have occurred as a consequence of the 2004-enlargement in the area of transport are described. The emphasis of thisstudy has been on effects that are related to changes in the regulatory environment in which the transport sector now functions, brought about by the transposition and implementation of the Transport chapter of the AcquisCommunautaire. Much of this Transport Acquis is aimed at opening up national markets, thus creating an internal transport market for the whole of the EU. EU legislation and policy also exist on safety, security and the environment; these domains are also covered. Fourteen suitable subjects for case studies were identified. Additionally, two workshops were organised in the New Member States. On the basis of an analysis of the main trends, the impressions and suggestions received from the interviews and workshops,and the more detailed information on particular developments and issues collected through the 14 case studies, some preliminary conclusions were made on the impacts of the enlargement in the area of transport. A general finding was that even though the legal framework of the NMS is to a large extent aligned with the latest EU legislation, the establishment of effective institutional and organisational structures that ensure its applicationand enforcement was still often lacking. Road transport, air transport and to a more limited degree maritime transport have benefited greatly from the enlargement and the liberalisation brought about by the European legislative framework. Railway transport on the other hand is now in an extremely vulnerable position; enlargement has not been able to prevent this and may have even accelerated the decline. Many intermodal transport services,particularly rolling highways, have collapsed. Apparently, these servicesrelied heavily on former institutional barriers in road transport (i.e. quota systems), and now cannot compete with road transport because of high railway access charges. Inland waterway transport continues to play only avery marginal role in the New Member States. For the covering abstract see ITRD E145999
Samenvatting