The enlargement of the European Union (EU) to include the socalled Eastern Block countries (referred to in this paper as the Central and East European countries – CEE countries, or more commonly the Accession countries – ACs) raises questions as to the impact of the expansion on road traffic safety after 1 May 2004, the date when enlargement is completed. In the recent past the EU made a decision to aim to cut the road deaths in Europe in half by 2010. However, at the time this decision was in the process of being approved it was not clear if and when the enlargement of the EU would be completed. Two questions therefore pose themselves: are the candidate countries able to meet the same targets or will they struggle to do so due to their own high accident rates, and to what extent have the ACs managed to implement EU road safety so far? The lecture will present some basic data and information on three points: first, on current EU road safety policy and its impact on the expansion process; second, on the past and current road safety policies of the ACs; third, a case study of the Czech Republic will illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of road safety policy and its development in a single AC. The lecture is intended to open a discussion on the lessons to be learnt, in terms of road safety, for the future second round of EU expansion with the candidate countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting