Article citation information:
Mindur, M., Mindur,
L. The influence of the selected international organizations on the development
of transport. Scientific
Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport.
2023, 119, 171-187. ISSN: 0209-3324.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2023.119.10.
Maciej MINDUR[1], Leszek MINDUR[2]
THE INFLUENCE OF
THE SELECTED INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORT
Summary. An important
role in the effective functioning and promotion of transport is played not only
by transport and forwarding companies, but also by non-governmental
organizations, closely cooperating with the industry and representing them in
decision-making bodies. The article presents selected organizations
representing the transport sector at the global and community forums. The
analysis covers the influence of these organizations on establishing
international law, unifying technical, organizational, operational and economic
solutions, and the preparation of shipping documents. The activities aimed at
standardization and unification of land transport for the purposes of
intermodal transport were also discussed.
Keywords: transport,
organizations, UIC, IRU, FIATA, CIT
1.
INTRODUCTION
The work attempted to present the widest
possible spectrum of organizations, focusing on Europe. One of the objectives
of the review of lobbying organisations was to answer the question OF whether
it is possible to transfer cargo transported by road to rail or inland waterway
and to create a sustainable transport system. However, this requires the
concerted cooperation of the bodies of the European Union, the Governments of
the Member States and the organisations described representing road, rail and
inland waterway transport operators, owners of communication infrastructure and
logistics operators [1]. For this reason, organizations related to sea or air
transport were only mentioned, without giving them much attention. When
describing, the most attention was paid to the largest such as IRU, UIC,
OSŻD, CER, CLECAT, etc. The modest framework of the chapter did not allow
to discuss all that exist, so they tried to describe those that make up the
lobby on the international arena, especially cooperating with the European
Commission. They have declared lobbyists and financial contributions, which was
presented at the end of the section devoted to organizations operating in
Europe. The article was prepared on the basis of the authors’ analyzes
and reflections as well as numerous publications on the selected topic. The
publications [2]-[8] constituted the basis for confirming the authors in the
belief that their way of reasoning in the subject of research undertaken is
consistent with world trends in this area.
2. GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONS
2.1. International union of railways – UIC
The international
representative of the railway sector and the promoter of rail transport is UIC
– International union of railways. The organization was founded in 1922
with its headquarters in Paris. Initially, it had 51 members from 29 countries,
including Japan and China, which were soon joined by railways from the USSR,
the Middle East and North Africa.
Their representatives advocated "the creation of a permanent
railway administration focusing on international traffic in order to
standardize and improve the conditions for the construction and operation of
railways. Currently, the UIC has 204 active members (railway undertakings,
infrastructure managers operating or operating on networks over 1000 km),
associated (railway undertakings, infrastructure managers operating or
operating which do not meet this condition, as well as public or private
companies or entities, including institutes and associations whose rail
activities concern urban, suburban or regional services, or which carry out
related activities with railway
activities) and related (companies other than train operators and railway
infrastructure undertakings, unless their activities are of particular interest
to UIC), representing all continents [9].
UIC represents, with
the consultant status, the rail transport sector at the UN forum. The
organization plays a similar role towards the governments of individual
countries and numerous international organizations [10].
Working groups
operating within UIC include a Special Group, i.e., the Combined Transport
Group (CTG), established by European rail intermodal transport operators. Its
particular mission is to actively promote the common goals and interests of
these entities, with a view to developing intermodal transport in Europe. The
CTG represents the interests of the interconnected railways by formulating and
communicating to market players, political authorities, infrastructure managers
as well as other professional associations their needs, concerns and visions.
The CTG is therefore a professional platform where competing railway
undertakings cooperate at international and Community level on issues of common
interest, with a view to developing intermodal transport, in particular
developing and promoting intermodal techniques, and making them reliable,
competitive and better suited to the market and environmental requirements. To
this end, CTG organizes and coordinates joint activities in the field of
intermodal transport, initiating, undertaking and carrying out all necessary
research, decisions and activities in the following areas:
· performance improvement,
· communication,
· business facilitation,
· knowledge of the market.
The coordination of cooperation
between railway undertakings carried out by the UIC increases the
competitiveness of rail transport. In order to intensify the coherence of the
different railway systems in different countries and to facilitate the conduct
of international rail transport, UIC is dealing with the process of
standardising railway parts, data and terminology. For associated
organizations, it publishes technical standards in the form of so-called UIC
cards having the character of an application order, recommendation or
information [11]. However, the cards are widely used, not only by UIC members,
and form the basis for the development of standards or technical specifications
for interoperability (cooperation with CEN, CENELEC and ERA).
UIC has created a
database of projects related to rail transport, incl. referring to the
promotion of interoperability, the creation of new global standards for
railways (including common standards with other modes of transport) [12].
2.2. The Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD or
OSShD)
Another important
railway organization is The Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD /
OSShD/ OSŻD) (Russian
Организация
Сотрудничества
Железных
Дорог or ОСЖД). This
organization was established in June 1956 in Sofia during a meeting of ministers
of countries applying the SMGS and SMPS conventions (SMGS – convention of
1953 "Agreement on international rail transport and SMPS – on
passenger transport). They were ratified and signed by the following countries:
Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East German, Poland, Romania, Hungary, and
the USSR, which was joined by the PRC, the DPRK, Mongolia and later Vietnam.
The organizational
structure of OSJD was created with its creation, but it evolved, especially
during the period of economic change. When all railways were state-owned, they
were represented by the ministers of individual states at the annual meetings.
Ministerial meetings were the main decision-making body of the association. The
subsequent separation of railway undertakings, transformed into companies
independent of ministers, created the need to create another decision-making
body in which these entities would be represented. In order to meet these
needs, the Council of Ministers decided to create another body – the
Conference of General Directors - the KIGD. It brings together full-fledged
representatives of railway carriers and deals with cooperation between
associated railways in the fields of operation, technology, finance, billing,
tariffs and scientific and research. It also prepares issues that should be
dealt with by the Council of Ministers.
Executive functions
are performed by the Committee, which is the depositary of the contracts and
agreements to which the OSJD is a party. It ensures the continuity of the
organization's work in the periods between meetings of Ministers' Meetings and
the Conferences of General Directors. The committee is chaired by a chairman
with two deputies and a secretary, overseeing the work of experts delegated by
the affiliated railway undertakings.
Organizational matters
are dealt with by the Committees:
· transport policy and development
strategy,
· transport law,
· freight transport,
· passenger transport,
· infrastructure and rolling stock
and Standing Working Groups (SWG)
on:
· coding and computer science,
· finance and settlements.
OSJD associates
carriers from the following countries: Azerbaijan AZ, Belarus BC, China KZD,
Czech CD, Estonia EVR, Georgia GR, Iran RAI, Kazakhstan KZH, Kyrgyzstan KRG,
KRL-D ZC, Lithuania LG, Latvia LDZ, Moldova CFM, Mongolia MITZ, Polish PKP,
Russia RZD, Romania CFR, Slovakia ZSSK Cargo, Tajikistan TDZ, Turkmenistan TRK,
Ukraine UZ, Uzbekistan UTI, Hungary MAV, Vietnam VZD.
The status of
associated railways is held by carriers from: Germany DB AG, France SNCF,
Finland VR, Serbia ZS, Greece OSE, and also the Hungarian-Austrian railway Gyor
– Sopron – Ebernfurth GySEV.
The status as of
01/01/2009 is presented below. Currently, the official OSJD website lists
carriers from 29 countries, including the Czech Republic, Korea and Cuba,
although its participation is only formal, as in practice it does not actively
participate in the work of the committee.
OSJD operates in the
area of 46.4 million km2, inhabited by nearly 2 billion people. In this area,
the railway network is over 280.6 thousand kilometres long, the carriers listed
below employ 4 million people, the rolling stock consists of 32.6 thousand
diesel locomotives, 22.9 electric locomotives, 125.3 thousand wagons for
passenger transport and over 1/8 million for cargo transportation. In 2009, the
OSJD railways transported 4 billion passengers (transport performance 1
trillion lanes / km and 5671 million tons of cargo (4.8 trillion tkm).
In 1994, the Council
of Ministers signed a document called "Program for the improvement of
railway communication between Europe and Asia". Among other things, OSJD
creates its own transport corridors in which it tries to ensure good technical
and operational conditions and eliminate “bottlenecks”. The
Association also attaches great importance to the development of transport in
intermodal technology, both by transporting containers and tractor units with
semi-trailers. For over a dozen years, trains have been running in one of the
corridors, connecting Istanbul and Almaty using intermodal technology [13].
OSJD is trying to
create an alternative to sea transport from China to Europe by opening rail
connections. In 1997, the "Agreement on organizational and operational
aspects of combined transport in Europe-Asia communication" was signed in
Tashkent. On March 30, 2021, an agreement was signed between PKP LHS LLC and
The Chinese Railway International Multimodal Transport CRMIT on intermodal
transport on the route China – Europe – China [14].
Since the 1950s, OSJD
has been trying to reach an agreement with the Central Office for International
Carriage by Rail in Bremen (OCTI) on the harmonization of the CIM and SMGS
regulations. OSJD takes steps to simplify the transport law and customs
formalities. To this end, it negotiates with OTIF and CIT [15].
2.3. International Road Transport Union – IRU
Road transport plays
an important role in intermodal transport, being the first and / or last stage
of each journey. The global representative of road hauliers is the IRU, which
was founded 70 years ago in Geneva with the aim of facilitating trade,
international road transport and passenger mobility, and supporting sustainable
development worldwide. It is a non-governmental organization that obtains funds
from membership fees, fees charged by drivers (e.g., for motorway gates) and in
cooperation with transport companies. IRU members are road carriers from over
100 countries on 5 continents [16]. The organization has been cooperating for
many years with the United Nations, the European Union and Eurasian
institutions.
In 1959, the IRU,
together with the UN, established the TIR Convention, which was amended in 1975 [17].
To validate the
Convention, three essential conditions had to be met:
· precise definition of uniform customs
procedures in all countries where the convention was to apply, from the place
of dispatch through the countries of transit to the customs office of the
country of destination of the cargo;
· an efficiently functioning
international guarantee chain securing customs payments;
· establishing cooperation between the
UN bodies and the International Road Transport Union IRU, which has been
authorized by the TIR Administrative Committee to be responsible for organizing
the international guarantee system [17].
The amendment allowed
for intermodal transport of goods, provided that at least one section of the
journey is by road. The provisions of the TIR Convention apply only to the road
transport of goods in international traffic. The TIR Convention applies to the
carriage of goods without transshipment across one or more frontiers, from the
Customs office of departure of one contracting party to the customs office of
destination of another contracting party, or the same contracting party, in
road vehicles, combinations of vehicles or containers, if any part of the
journey between the beginning and the end of the TIR transport is carried out
by road. Therefore, no fees or import / export taxes are levied at the border
customs offices that would have to be paid when entering the goods into the
customs territory. Only the TIR carnet is such a security. The European Union
and other European countries, countries of North Africa, the Middle East, the
United States, Canada, Chile and Uruguay joined the TIR Convention [19].
Currently, the IRU is
working on covering as many intermodal transports as possible with digital
logistics - using such tools as digital TIR and e-CMR (document issued in
electronic form, authenticated by the parties to the transport contract, using
a reliable electronic signature ensuring its link with the electronic
consignment note). Transport corridors with digitized TIR intermodal operations
should help to achieve full interoperability, which is a prerequisite for
sustainable development [20].
2.4. International Maritime Organization – IMO
The International
Maritime Organization is a specialized UN agency working for the safety and
security of shipping, as well as sustainable development and environmental
protection. It was established in 1958 and brings together 174 Member States.
As an organization, it has contributed to or initiated the signing of 50
treaties or conventions, trying to ensure that the contained regulations keep
up with changes in shipping technology. The IMO declares that its purpose is to
ensure the safety of navigation. In fact, the organization coordinates or
supports a number of activities such as: construction and design of ships,
development of navigation systems, safe transport of cargo, water rescue
system, counteracting pollution of seas and oceans.
Every two years, a
general meeting is held, which elects the Council from among its members, which
runs the organization for two years.
Within the IMO there
are five standing Committees for:
· maritime safety,
· protection of the marine
environment,
· technical cooperation,
· legal,
· facilities.
Within the IMO, a
secretariat and several subcommittees operate on an ongoing basis [21].
2.5. International Air Transport Association – IATA
The International Air
Transport Association IATA brings together 290 airlines from around the world.
Its aim is to develop aviation, ensure safety and support the broadly
understood aviation industry. Nowadays, IATA also deals with financial issues,
trying to help airlines. On its website, IATA pledges compensation for 2.2
million tonnes of CO2.
2.6. International Civil Aviation Organization – ICAO
This organization
associates 193 countries. It functions as an agency at the United Nations which
aims to develop and implement aviation law. The priority declared by the
organization is to ensure the safety of air navigation and the development of
aviation. Contrary to IATA - ICAO focuses on legislative activity, apart from
safety issues, it deals with such issues as the standardization of procedures
necessary in air transport, liberalization of the air transport market,
publication of statistical data on air transport, as well as research aimed at
the development of aviation, implementation of technical projects for Member
States' request, in the form of audits, controlling standards and
recommendations for aviation safety, conducting air transport analysis.
The organizational
structure of ICAO is similar to the governance of the IMO. The most important
body is the Assembly, which elects a Council composed of 36 representatives of
the member states for a three-year term. The Council appoints 19
representatives who make up the Air Navigation Committee. In addition, there
are several Council Committees responsible for:
· air transport,
· legal issues
· support for air navigation services,
· finance
· prevention of acts of unlawful
interference,
· technical cooperation,
· environment
and Secretariat.
2.7. International Federation of Freight Forwarders
Associations – FIATA
The International
Federation of Freight Forwarders' Associations FIATA was founded in 1926. Its
headquarters are in Glattbrugg near Zurich [22]. FIATA members are national
organizations associating forwarding and logistics entrepreneurs from 150
countries. In Poland, such an organization is the Polish Chamber of Forwarding
and Logistics, based in Gdynia [23].
· unifying the forwarding industry
around the world,
· representing, promoting and
protecting the interests of the industry by participating as advisers or
experts in meetings of international transport bodies,
· improvement of the quality of
services provided by forwarders through the development and dissemination of
uniform forwarding documents, standard commercial conditions, etc.,
· assistance in the professional
training of freight forwarders, problems with liability insurance, e-commerce
tools, including electronic data interchange (EDI) and barcodes.
FIATA has created
standard documents approved by ICC for forwarders:
· FIATA FCR (forwarding certificate of
acceptance of goods for shipment),
· FIATA FCT (forwarding transport
certificate),
· FWR (forwarding warehouse receipt),
· FBL (FIATA multimodal transport bill
of lading),
· FWB (multimodal FIATA consignment
note),
· FIATA SDT (the sender's declaration
regarding the transport of dangerous goods),
· FIATA SIC (shipper's certificate
regarding the weight of goods in the container),
· FIATA FFI (forwarding order
template).
FIATA documents
increase the certainty of turnover, as well as the security of submitted goods.
The correct use of these documents in practice is supervised by both directly
FIATA, and by members of the federation in individual countries.
2.8. International Rail Transport Committee – CIT
The International Rail Transport Committee is
an association of over 200 railway companies and carriers that provide
international passenger and / or freight transport services. CIT was
established as a separate legal entity in 2004. It is now a Swiss law
association based in Bern.
CIT helps railway companies to implement
international transport law, standardize contractual relations and create the
principle of legal certainty. It has 129 members from Europe, Asia and North
Africa. The Polish side is represented by PKP S.A., CTL Logistics Sp. z o.o.
and Koleje Dolnośląskie S.A.
The main working bodies of the CIT are the
CIV Committee (passenger traffic), the CIM Committee (freight traffic), the CUI
Committee (use of infrastructure) and the Multimodality Committee. Working
groups prepare recommendations that are submitted to the committees for
approval. If necessary, groups of experts are convened.
CIT works closely with many international
organizations, incl. with UIC, CER, UE, FIATA, IRU, OSJD, UIRR, EKE ONZ,
UNCITRAL or WCO.
The organization helps in the correct
implementation of the provisions in force in international freight traffic. For
this purpose, it draws up contracts, instructions from International Air
Transport Association = IATA and standard forms, especially transport documents
that constitute evidence of the contract of carriage and delivery of the
so-called CIM or SMGS consignment note.
The CIT also prepares documents aimed at
improving the framework conditions for concluding multimodal transport
contracts, in particular for shipping, road and rail companies. Where specific
actions need to be taken, decisions are made on the basis of the
recommendations of the Working Group on Multimodality, which includes both rail
operators and shipping companies. Her work focuses on issues related to
multimodality in the transport of goods.
2.9. Universal Freight Organization – UFO
It is an organization
founded in 2000 that brings together 110 "selected" companies,
guaranteeing high quality of services from over 100 countries around the world.
The organization works on all continents. From the United States, Russia,
through China, Australia to Greenland [24].
UFO deals with:
· air, sea and road freight,
· customs clearance,
· warehousing,
· handling of dangerous goods,
· cargo insurance.
Electronically, you can
connect to more than 300 offices. The network envelops the whole world [25].
3.
EUROPEAN ORGANIZATIONS
The European
Union's policy aims to balance the various modes of transport and increase the
role of rail in freight transport by creating a fully functioning intermodal
transport network by 2030 [26]. A major obstacle to the implementation of this
policy is the lack of a single, centralized structure in the EU countries,
which would act as an organizer and manager of intermodal transport operations.
The effective development of intermodal transport is seen in coordinated action
by Member States to effectively promote environmentally friendly modes and
technologies of transport, including in particular rail, intermodal and
waterborne transport.
3.1. Community of European Railway and Infrastructure
Companies – CER
In 1988, 14
European carriers reported the need to create an organization that would
represent their interests before the Community institutions. The result was the
Committee of European Railways and Infrastructure Enterprises (CER). CER is an
organization that emerged from UIC, functioning since 1996 as an independent
organization. The organization defines itself as the voice of European
railways, strives to create a competitive and sustainable transport system in
cooperation with other modes of transport. The CER includes railways from all
EU countries, as well as Great Britain, Norway, Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia
Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. CER's partner railways are
carriers from Georgia, Israel, Japan, Moldova and Ukraine. The organization's
associated shareholders include 71% of the European rail network, which handles
76% of freight and 92% of passengers. The organizational structure is
primarily the General Assembly, a meeting of directors who lead the railways
associated in the CER. The assembly takes the most important decisions and
outlines the strategic concepts of the organization. The Management Committee
performs executive functions. The committee is composed of a chairman, four
vice-chairmen and members elected by the Assembly, but the number of members of
the committee may not exceed 16. The Assistants Group is the body that acts as
the liaison between the CER and its members. Additionally, there are various
thematic Working Groups. CER works with many other logistics and transport
organizations.
3.2. European Rail Infrastructure Managers – EIM
EIM is an
organization that brings together and cares for the interests of railway
infrastructure managers from the EU and the EEA. It is composed of
representatives of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Spain, the Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Great Britain, i.e., as EIM declares, 53% of
European railways, 40% of freight transported by rail and 58% of passengers.
EIM cooperates with
ERA, the European Union Railway Agency, participates in working groups and sits
on the administrative board.
The aim of EIM is
the expansion and development of railway infrastructure and its more effective
use. It also represents its members' interests to the relevant EU bodies,
supports business development and provides a forum for collaboration,
encourages web message leaders to share innovations to increase efficiency.
EIM aims to create
an open and capacity rail network and a safe and sustainable rail system [27].
3.3. Inland Navigation Europe – INE
It is an
organization promoting the development of inland waterway transport. It
declares to increase the share of transport in this mode of transport and to
increase efficiency and strive to "balance" European transport. INE
wants to achieve this by establishing contacts, as well as bringing together
carriers and organizations dealing with inland waterway transport, it is engaged
in the promotion and indication of long-term benefits for the economy and the
environment. INE also aims to act as an advocate for the inland waterway
transport industry towards the EU institutions.
The objectives of
the INE are:
· revitalization of the existing
network of rivers and canals that connect the main areas of the continent.
· implementation of intelligent
infrastructure and digitalisation and automation.
· removing barriers to the integration
of inland waterway transport into intermodal supply chains.
· facilitate the development of a new
smart fleet and environmentally friendly fuels.
· incentives to create innovative
logistics concepts.
INE achievements
are as follows:
· creating the EU plan for the
development of inland water transport called "Naiads",
· launching a strategic research
program on waterways and ports,
· creating conditions for more
effective use of the TEN networks,
· introduction of the principle of EU
co-financing at the level of 50% of works for the development of
infrastructure, expansion of inland water transport and implementation of the
RIS system,
· introduction of fuels with low
sulphur content for use by the fleet,
· implementation of the de minimis
rule for inland waterway transport.
3.4. European Federation of Inland Ports – EFIP
The European Inland
Ports Federation EFIP was established in 1994. It includes nearly 200 ports
from 18 EU countries, as well as Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine. Its role is
to promote ports as nodal points of transport infrastructure, logistic supply
chains, points connecting inland water transport with road, rail, sea and
combined transport.
EFIP wants to be
the only representative of inland shipping ports, to represent them in
discussions with EU institutions, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe,
and the Central Rhine and Danube Shipping Commissions.
The aim of the
organization is to develop a common position on inland shipping issues against
other institutions.
EFIP is trying to
disseminate knowledge and information about the activities of inland ports and
their importance for the economy. The organization sees its role in the
exchange of information and opinions between management, institutions and those
working in ports.
EFIP and INE
declare active support for the "sustainable and smart mobility
strategy", seeing it as an opportunity for the development of inland
navigation and creating opportunities for the development of a European
modality [28]
3.5. International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport
– UIRR
UIRR's sole mission
is to promote, by all possible means, intermodal transport [31], with
particular emphasis on the combination of road and rail transport, and to
ensure the competitiveness of companies engaged in intermodal transport.
The initiatives
undertaken by this organization include:
· activities aimed at harmonizing or
reconciling work procedures, methods and management systems between different
member companies, so as to enable the movement of loads by intermodal transport
throughout Europe,
· cooperation with the governing
bodies of the European Union and other international organizations in the field
of issuing opinions on legislative or statutory changes directly or indirectly
affecting the development of intermodal transport,
· coordination of research and
innovation projects carried out under the European Union support programs
(Marco Polo, research and development framework program).
UIRR has created
and maintains a database of over 350 major European transhipment terminals in
20 countries used by intermodal transport operators. This database contains an
overview of the services offered in a given terminal, as well as a technical
description, contact details, a list of the main destinations that can be
reached and operators offering services to / from the terminal.
3.6. European Association for Forwarding, Transport,
Logistics and Customs Services – CLECAT
The association was
founded in 1958 as the European Liaison Committee of Common Market Forwarders,
French: Comité de Liaison Européen des Commissionaires et
Auxiliaires de Transport du Marché Commun (CLECAT). Its headquarters are
in Brussels, and its permanent secretariat and offices are located close to the
European institutions.
CLECAT is a
representative of 20 national associations of forwarding organizations,
logisticians and customs agents from the Member States of the European Union,
which brings together a total of over 19,000 companies with a total of over 1
million employees.
Companies associated with
CLECAT support:
· 95% of all cargo in Europe,
· 65% of cargo transported by road,
· 95% of cargo transported by air,
· 65% transported by sea.
CLECAT also handles
goods transported by rail, inland waterway and intermodal transport.
The main objective
of CLECAT is to create a strong representation and strengthen the position of
the logistics, forwarding and customs services sectors. CLECAT works to create
a friendly environment for trading, moving and safe business.
The main goal of
CLECAT is to protect and represent the professional interests of the TFL
community. The Association has an advisory status to the European Commission in
the creation and amendment of European law on transport, forwarding and customs
issues in the field of TFL industry, and also acts on behalf of the TFL
community before the authorities of the European Union. Moreover, CLECAT
represents the global organization of FIATA forwarders on the forum of the
European Union [32].
3.7. Bureau International des Containers et du Transport
Intermodal – BIC
Bureau
International des Containers was founded in 1933, headquartered in Paris, under
the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, as a non-profit
organization aimed at educating the development of international and intermodal
transport and its practical aspects [33]. Currently, the organization has over
2,300 members serving containers in more than 127 countries. BIC deals with
cooperation between businesses, governments and independent organizations
related to intermodal transport, the containerization process, and the
transport and handling of sea containers.
Initially, the area
of activity of the organization was mainly land transport (rail and road), now
it focuses on all aspects of intermodal transport.
BIC has played an
important role in the organization of sea transport containers since the early
1960s, facilitating trade and helping to define and standardize areas such as
technical inspection, strength, coding, container identification and labelling
[34].
In 1970, BIC
developed an alphanumeric container labelling system known as the
"BIC-CODE" system. The International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) adopted this system in 1972 and entrusted BIC with the sole management of
the BIC code allocation for international container shipping and the
publication of an official owner code register. BIC codes, used on containers
used in international trade, allow for proper identification and facilitate
border crossing without customs formalities. Since 2013, BIC has also operated
the global ACEP database under IMO management (ACEP numbers are assigned by
national administrations or their designated representatives to container
owners and operators who meet specific requirements, including periodic
testing).
Since the
mid-1980s, BIC has also been involved in the development of intermodal
transport (rail-road and inland waterways). With extensive experience in
promoting the expansion of containerization, BIC is involved on a regional and
international level in the further development of this form of intermodal
transport.
BIC also
contributed to the development and updating of international conventions, which
had a huge impact on the development of containerization: BIC has official
observer status as a non-governmental organization in the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), and
regularly participates as an observer in the ECE UN and other organizations.
3.8. European Intermodal Association – EIA
It is an
organization founded in 1993, its primary goal is to promote sustainable
mobility. The EIA declares its openness to all modes of transport. It brings
together over 90 members - "leaders in transport and related fields not
only from Western Europe, but also Eastern Europe, China and North America. The
EIA cooperates with the European Commission and UN bodies. The assumption of
the EIA is to look for new solutions to improve the quality of transport services
and to implement innovations. The organization is involved in research,
projects and promotional activities on other continents, incl. in Latin America
and Asia (China, Thailand). It conducts negotiations and has experts in its
ranks who are ready to engage in a dialogue on debatable topics, looking for
opportunities to introduce new pro-ecological solutions in line with EU
guidelines. Community transport policy is discussed at the EIA forum [35].
Unfortunately, during the data collection, the
author was
unable to reach the EIA's websites directly, which is why the
institutional system was not described, and
information about the EIA was taken from the https://www.LobbyFact.eu.
3.9. Alliance for Logistics Innovation through
Collaboration in Europe – ALICE
ALICE –
Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe. It is an
organization that declares that it aims to:
· development of research, new
solutions and innovations in logistics and the supply chain,
· contribute to the improvement of efficiency
in logistics by 30% by 2030.
The above-mentioned
measures are assumed to lead to growth in the logistics sector by 10-30%, which
in turn will lead to cost reductions of 100-300 billion Euro. Another goal is
to create the European Technology Platform of the ETP, where stakeholders
develop short- and long-term agendas for research and innovation implementation
at both European Union and national levels supported by public institutions and
private stakeholders.
Functioning within
the ETP is based on five principles:
· openness - the platform will be open
to any entity that deals with research on the implementation of innovation in
logistics in Europe, the condition is to actively participate in working
groups,
· participation – every
organisation operating within the ETP must take part in the Working Groups,
· responsibilities – the
responsibilities and objectives of each functioning group must be clearly
defined,
· effectiveness – business
objectives must be precisely defined,
· cohesion – initiatives and
actions taken must be in line with the vision and mission of the ETP.
The organisational
structure assumes the functioning of the general assembly, the
"consultative body", the secretariat and the five working groups
operating within the thematic framework:
· sustainable logistics chain,
· corridors, hubs and synchromodality,
· connection systems and technologies
in logistics,
· coordination and cooperation of
supply networks,
· urban logistics.
ALICE is made up of
136 members and 18 associates. The members of the organization are entities
representing various types of activities, such as P&G, Loreal, UPS,
Generali, Volvo, Scania, DAC, Logistop, EFFRA, Bmvt, and observers are, for
example, Eucar or CLECAT. These are companies, organizations that carry out
various activities, many of them are well-known brands, often with large
capital, and organizations actively associating to other entities.
The most
interesting project declared by ALICE is creating sustainable supply chains and
zero emissions. With such potential, ALICE can afford to set this type of goal.
3.10. Associazione Logistica dell’Intermodalità
Sostenibile – ALIS
ALIS Logistic
Association of Sustainable Intermodality it is an organization established in
2016, which declares its commitment to "sustainable logistics". The
association consists of entities whose interests, visions and needs were not
expressed in other organizations. All types of operators gathered in ALIS -
companies from the TFL industry, logistics, shipowners, sea carriers, port
representatives, as well as universities representing the world of science.
ALIS emphasizes that it is a unique example of logistics chain integration.
The association
consists of over 1,530 companies employing over 185,000 employees, having over
133,000 vehicles, performing 140,500 sea connections a year, 125 connections of
sea "motorways", servicing over 200,000 railway connections on over
160 railway lines and in total generating 30 billion of Euro in revenues.
4. CONCLUSIONS
In 2011 European Union declared to reduce road
fright to 30% by 2030 and then to 20% by 2050.and develop “green”
modes of transport. In the opinion
of scientists, this goal seems to be ambitious and challenging [36].
Although there are organizatioms in EU lobbying for rail, inland water
transport the organization promoting road transport seem to be strong as well.
Organizations
representing the transport influence on establishing international law,
unifying technical, organizational, operational and economic solutions, and the
preparation of shipping documents. Organizations representing rail and
inland-water transport declare “eco-friendly transport”
(sustainable). Their declarations and costs are collected in Table 1 and showed
on Figure 1.
Tab. 1
Collection of organizations with selected
parameters
|
Organizations |
Lobbysts declared |
iLobbying costs (EUR) |
|
ALICE |
4,5 Fte 6 |
- |
|
BIC |
0,25 Fte 1 |
- |
|
CER |
- |
50,000 |
|
CIT |
1 Fte 1 |
9,999 |
|
CLECAT |
4 Fte 4 |
400.000-499,999 |
|
EFIP |
- |
30,000 |
|
EIA |
- |
225,000 |
|
EIM |
2,75 Fte 4 |
100,000-199,999 |
|
ERIIT |
1 Fte 1 |
500 |
|
FB |
2 Fte 3 |
. |
|
FIATA |
1 Fte 3 |
100,000-199,999 |
|
INE |
2 Fte 2 |
200,000-299,999 |
|
IRU |
10 |
50,000-99,999 |
|
ITC |
3 Fte 3 |
75,000 |
|
PCC |
0,5 Fte 2 |
10,000 |
|
SFR (SBB) |
1,5 Fte 2 |
450,000 |
|
UIC |
1,75 Fte 5 |
- |
|
UIRR |
1,5 Fte 4 |
100,000-199,999 |
|
URIP |
3,75 Fte 8 |
75,000 |
|
Total |
40,5 |
2 189,994 |
Although many
organizations were established many years ago they didn’t achieve many.
For instance, European railway system isn’t 100% compatible. Actually,
there still exist different consignment notes. So far, road organizations
turned out to be more effective.
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Received 10.11.2022; accepted in
revised form 10.03.2023
Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License
[1] Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 38, 00-618 Lublin,
Poland. Email: m.mindur@pollub.pl. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5083-1975
[2] International University of Logistics and Transport in Wrocław,
Sołtysowicka 19B, 51-168 Wroclaw, Poland. Email: lmindur@vp.pl. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9177-6749