Resolution on the Transport Policy of the Republic of Slovenia

58 Uradni list RS No. 58/2006 1 of 6 June 20061. INTRODUCTIONR E S O L U T I O Non the Transport Policy of the Republic of Slovenia (RePPRS)Intermodality: time for synergy)1.1. Challenges of time(1) In the Republic of Slovenia (hereinafter referred to as Slovenia) we are wellaware of the fact that we live in a time of globalisation where the distances betweenus are getting shorter, while the mobility of people, goods and capital is increasing;borders are disappearing and integration is being expanded. The White Paper of theEuropean Union on Transport (European Transport Policy for 2010: time to decide;Brussels, 12 September 2001) is responding to the actual demands of the time with aEuropean policy of modernisation, liberalisation and integration of existing transportsystems and their processes into a jointly operating whole. The national transportpolicy gives due regard to the macroeconomic importance of transport and shouldcontinue with the modernisation, deregulation and internationalisation of transport ifall these factors improve the quality of services in passenger or goods transport. Toobtain macroeconomic importance of transport, Slovenia has set itself thechallenging goal to develop into a logistics and distribution centre for Central Europe.(2) The currently adopted decisions will define the conditions of economicperformance and the lives of people for at least the next several decades. Theexpected development of traffic flows is a challenge, the responsibility of and at thesame time an extraordinary opportunity for our country. Slovenia's vision istherefore: to respond through transport policy to these challenges and to providesynergy among different transport systems. With the accession of Slovenia to theEuropean Union conditions were finally established to require a uniform operation ofall transport systems. Only under such conditions will it be possible to offer serviceson the passenger and goods transport market, which will be acceptable andsustainable for Slovenia in the long term.(3) This document specifies the baselines, objectives and measures needed torealise the goals and the key operators and institutions bearing responsibility fortransport policy. For the implementation of this document, the Government willelaborate implementation documents, which will determine the measurable andconcrete goals and activities for their achievement, competencies and responsibilitiesas well as performers of activities and the financial perspective.1.2. Role of Transport Policy(1) Transport represents the basis for economic development of a country and isas such also one of the basic interministerial communications. Transport policycreation and development are important factors in defining the position and role oftransport in the overall economy. Over 60 % of people employed in the buildingsector are engaged in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure.The transport sector produces 7.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) income andemploys 10% of employees in the country. This is the reason why transport policymust be substantially coordinated with the broader macroeconomic policy of the1 Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia no. 58/20061

country. Successful implementation of transport policy also depends on the broadersocial environment, therefore, in the process of planning this policy it is important toconsider the economic, social and cultural environment of the country and to befamiliar with the policy in other areas, which are connected or interconnected with thefield of transport, such as:– environment and spatial planning,– economy and agriculture,– employment and family,– justice, policing and home affairs,– safety and security,– defence and system of protection against natural and other disasters– and others.(2) The basic determinants for the creation of transport policy in the EuropeanUnion and in Slovenia are:– legislation of the Republic of Slovenia, international agreements, by which theRepublic of Slovenia is bound, and directives and regulations of the European Union,– development of transport systems,– technical, technological and organisational development and standards,integration capacity,– market situation, transport services supply and demand,– condition and development of transport infrastructure,– geographic potential from the aspect of transport (geographic position of theterritory),– cultural, social and economic environment,– inspections and administrative and technical control of transport.(3) The geographic position with regard to transport in an integrated Europeanenvironment with global economic trends is one of Slovenia's advantages. Throughthe development of overall logistic services, Slovenia could cover the demand forsuch services in Central, Southern and South-Eastern Europe. The transfer ofproduction to the Far East has strengthened the role of the Mediterranean Seatogether with the Suez Canal in transport again. The Mediterranean Sea protrudinginto the hearth of Europe is also a comparable advantage, which enables thedevelopment of port and transport services.2. TRANSPORT POLICY GUILDELINES2.1. Analysis Results(1) The analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTanalysis) in the field of transport and transport infrastructure in Slovenia showsnumerous strengths and opportunities, which should be used, and draws attention tosome weaknesses and threats, the effects and consequences of which should beprevented or at least reduced with transport policy measures. The results are asfollows:a) strengths:– geographic position,– integration into the European land transport network,– exit to the open sea via a well-developed port,2

– relatively strong transport sector, in particular the road transport sector,– high share of income of goods transport operators on the European market,– haulage tradition,b) weaknesses:– no cooperation among transport service operators and no links between differenttypes of transport infrastructure (intermodality, multimodality), lack of logisticscentres,– dispersed settlements and consequently expensive infrastructure which wouldsatisfy the needs of inhabitants,– poorly developed and poorly connected public passenger transport,– less competitive railway network (in comparison to the road network) and poororganisation of railway transportation,– uncompleted system of motorways,– uncompleted system of railway infrastructure,– non-optimum system of motorway user charging,– failure to charge railway infrastructure user fees,– poorly developed system of national roads, which "supply" the motorway networkwith traffic and connect regions, which have no motorways,– poor airport accessibility.c) opportunities:– unification and harmonisation of transport systems operation,– development of new transport technologies,– further specialisation of industrial production – increase in goods transport,– transfer of production of less technologically advanced products into East Asia;the Northern Adriatic is obtaining a more important role,– unification of operation of existing infrastructure; Slovenian providers of serviceswould provide overall and no longer partial logistic services on the market,– further stabilisation of the Balkans and integration of Turkey into the EuropeanUnion will enable the traffic flows to be increased, in particular transit flows via rail,– after the completion of the motorway system construction Slovenia will beinternally connected and integrated into the European motorway network system,which will encourage the construction of new connections as well as development,– development of modern high-speed railway lines on corridors passing throughSlovenia,– Corridor no. V and X, which pass through Slovenia,– in addition to the already adopted <strong>Resolution</strong> on the National MotorwayConstruction Programme also the development of the third (3 rd ), third a (3 rd a), third b(3 rd b) and fourth (4 th ) transport axis, which will link regions in Slovenia, Austria, Italyand Croatia and provide the connection of road transport routes in these regions tothe main European transport directions,– sufficient capacities and infrastructure of international airports in Slovenia for thetransport of a significantly higher number of passengers (up to 6 million; in 2005:around 1 million);– increased utilisation of capacities at international airports in Slovenia, capacitiesof individual facilities within infrastructure units, intermodal systems (airport – rail –road);– the key opportunity for the Slovenian infrastructure is its favourable geographicposition, important also from the European aspect and reflected in the crossing ofPan-European Corridors V and X,3

– development of short-distance maritime transport.d) threats:– rerouting of transit transport flows to the parallel network through Italy, Austria,Hungary or Croatia due to the too slow railway transport infrastructure development,– rerouting of port cargo transit to North Sea ports because of poor connections ofthe Adriatic ports in Venice, Trieste, Koper and Rijeka and inappropriate hinterlandconnections, in particular via rail,– increasing traffic congestions and worsening of the safety situation in goods andpassenger transport, because of the slow network modernisation and the inconsistentcharging of transport infrastructure use,– intensified dispersion of settlements;– further lack of cooperation between public transport operators,– regression in relation to the maintenance and development of the network ofother national roads, which will not have enough capacities to handle the transportflows,– socially unacceptable degradation of (living) environment,– in the field of civil aviation rapidly developing competitive network of airportsalong the Slovenian border area (Ronke, Venice (Treviso), Klagenfurt, Graz, Zagreb,Pula, Rijeka…),– too slow adaptation of the national air carrier to meet market conditions andcompetition,– non-compliance with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol.2.2. Transport infrastructure(1) The implementation of transport policy will be successful if it goes hand in handwith the implementation of the Spatial Development Strategy of Slovenia in the lightof rational and efficient spatial development. Dispersion of settlements andproduction facilities has a decisive impact on the traffic flows, their movement and asa result on the overall transport costs. In the present situation it s very difficult,sometimes also impossible to set up an efficient public passenger and goodstransport system, which would at least in the final stage not be based almostexclusively on individual road transport.(2) In the field of railway transport infrastructure development Slovenia constructedonly a direct railway link with Hungary in the period after gaining its independence.After both countries, Slovenia and Hungary, joined the European Union, this railwayconnection proved to be extremely important, because it became more competitive.The situation and the transportability of the remaining parts of the railwayinfrastructure remained more or less unchanged. After the fall of the Berlin Walltransport flows were rerouted also within the railway transport infrastructure, whereasafter the war in the Western Balkans the direction north – south has been only slowlyrevitalising. The reason of the latter is also lack of coordination between railwayadministrations in this area. In Slovenia, the separation of the activities of theauthorised railway infrastructure manager from the activities of the passenger andgoods transport operator by rail was carried out only formally. In practice, thisorganisational and legal structure has never really functioned properly. This resultedin lack of motivation of service providers for a more competitive appearance in themarket. Such uncertain conditions have not contributed to the reduction in theoperational costs and to the improvement of service quality. The conditions for4

charging railway infrastructure user fees are complied with. The charging only has tobe started. The construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure are in additionto the organisational and technological aspect the key factors of success in anintensively opening market space and a competitive space for the railways, whichreceive 90% of cargo via the port of Koper.(3) In the field of national road development, in the last decade Slovenia gave inparticular priority to the upgrading of roads for long distance traffic, i.e. motorways inthe Trans-European Road Network and high speed roads. In accordance with thepolicy implemented so far and the National Motorway Construction Programme themotorway on Corridor X will be completed in 2008, whereas the motorway on theentire Corridor V in 2010. The remaining existing network of national roads, mainand regional roads has mainly been maintained and preserved; bottlenecks havebeen eliminated in particular to increase traffic fluency and road safety. Thedevelopment of the national road infrastructure provided progressive development ofareas along the crossing motorways, whereas the connections of other regions to themotorway system and their accessibility have not improved during that period. Thegeneral conditions of the existing network of national roads, main and regional roadshave even worsened during that time; the present situation shows that 42% of theroad network is in bad or very bad condition. The situation is a restrictive factor ofharmonised development of regions in Slovenia, which are not situated along the twocrossing motorways. Due to their poor accessibility and high transportation costsrelated thereto, these regions are becoming uncompetitive, although they dispose ofother factors, which are important for their development (cheaper land, qualified workforce etc.).(4) In the post-independence period, Slovenia has increased its port transhipment;from 2000 to 2004 ship to ship transhipment increased by 5 % per annum, whichmeans an annual growth exceeding 0.5 million tons.(5) Currently, Slovenia has connections with approximately 20 European airports,which means only 10% of the 200 airports, which would be of potential interest forour country. Growing competition among airports and air carriers can also beobserved. This will result in the improvement of service quality (at present the onlynational carrier covers more than 80% of air services in Slovenia). However, it isrealistic to expect that in the following ten years air services in Slovenia will achievethe quantity level comparable to the current level in the European Union, whichmeans that the number of passengers is expected to increase four times, while theair transport capacities should double in the European Union by 2015. Today,Slovenia carries 0.6 passenger per citizen, whereas in the European Union theaverage amounts to 2.2 passengers per citizen. This would mean that Sloveniacould have around 4 to 5 million air passengers per annum.2.3. Traffic SafetyIn the last decade, safety in railway transport has been constantly improving asregards the number of emergency events and disturbances as well as the damagescaused. Unfortunately, this does not apply to emergency events at level crossingsand to walking on and along railway tracks. Both events are the consequence of arelatively low level of traffic culture of the participants in traffic and relatively smallinvestments in level crossing protection or their elimination. Slovenia has 972 level5

crossings, among them 652 are marked only by road signs. 45 % of accidentsdirectly referring to safety in railway transport happen at level crossings, whereas 15% of accidents result from train crashes, collisions or derailments. The remainingincidents in railway transport that should be dealt with separately, result from the noncompliancewith the rules on safe railway transport operations and the noncompliancewith safety regulations. In future, railway transport safety will have to befurther improved by larger investments into the technical protection of traffic,maintenance of infrastructure and vehicles, modernisation of vehicles andharmonisation of our transport system with the European one.(2) Despite the increase in the volume of transport carried out within the roadsystem, road safety has improved on average in the last decade, in particular inrespect of the number of road fatalities. The key reasons for the improvement of roadsafety are accelerated construction of the motorway network, improvement of thefleet of vehicles, education and cultivation of drivers as well as stricter control andsanctioning for traffic rules infringements.(3) Air safety should continue to be provided through permanent professionaltraining and consistent administrative and technical control in accordance withSlovenian and EU legislation. From this aspect, it is necessary to improve theorganisation of the competent national civil aviation authority and to carry outinspections in the field of civil aviation. Every activity in civil aviation (air services, airnavigation services, maintenance, manufacture etc.) should have its set objectives ofacceptable risk level values, which should be internationally comparable andmeasures related to these values should be adopted to provide the required safetylevel, regularity and smooth operation in air transport. In this field, the EuropeanUnion as well as other international organisations have set up new bodies. Sloveniawill make every effort to implement the adopted European requirements,recommendations and regulations.(4) Maritime transport is one of the safest modes of transport with regard to thevolume of cargo dispatched. Slovenia will maintain the high level of maritimetransport safety by organising safety activities within services responsible formaritime transport safety, by providing permanent training of seafarers and thoseinvolved in maritime transport and by organising informing-related activities.2.4. Vision of population mobility(1) Public interest in public passenger transport depends on social and ecologicalfactors. In accordance with numerous adopted documents the State should providethe basic facilities for population mobility, in particular with regard to education andwork as well as with regard to accessibility to health care services and supplies. Theconstantly growing level of motorisation has resulted in the reduction in the number ofusers of public passenger transport services. For this reason, public transport isgetting more expensive not only for the users but also for the State and the localcommunities subsidizing it directly and indirectly. In the long term, the solution tooffer public transport at acceptable prices could be achieved by attracting a highernumber of passengers who as car owners do not depend on public transport.However, this target group will use public transport only if appropriate frequency,comfort, speed and favourable prices are provided. The use of public transportshould also be encouraged for environmental reasons. Nevertheless, positive effects6

will occur only if public transport capacities are utilised to a satisfactory extent; incase of empty runs of public transport vehicles environmental costs per passengerkilometre might even exceed the costs of personal motor vehicle use.(2) The main operators of public passenger transport, bus and railway operatorsperform their services on the basis of two different laws and according to theconditions set by two public service operators. For the management of publicservices different conditions and criteria are in force, in particular different criteria andmethodologies relating to revenue and expenditure monitoring and payment ofcompensations and subsidies to road and railway transport operators respectively.This requires the adoption of a law, which would regulate an integrated publicpassenger transport system and determine the methods of integrating publicpassenger transport services, stations and changing stations (intermodal terminals).The law should lay down the obligatory introduction of a coordinated timetable, auniform tariff system and a uniform information system for every public passengerservice operator. Special attention should also be given to external accessibility ofpublic passenger transport on foot (by pedestrians) and by non-motorised transportmodes, such as by bicycles, wheelchairs and other, as well as by personal motorvehicles, for which an adequate number of parking places is to be provided for atchanging stations. The law should define the contents of individual public passengertransport services and national, regional and local authorities responsible for theprovision of public goods in the field of public passenger transport. The introductionof a uniform tariff system and a uniform ticketing system should simplify the use ofpublic passenger transport from the aspect of ticket purchase, whereas appropriatefinancing should ensure accessible prices for public passenger transport services toevery citizen in Slovenia. The stated measures will reduce the costs itemised in thebudget for the needs of public passenger transport.(3) With regard to the expected growth in the demand of passengers for airservices it is justified to expect an increase in the number of passengers at Slovenianpublic airports. Conditions for competition are established in the field of air servicesas well as ground handling services. In this way, passengers will be provided with anoptimum offer of air services, ensuring them relevant mobility in the European Unionand in the world. The demand for air passenger services is in a constant increase.With Slovenia's integration into Wider Europe and the growing competition of aircarriers within the European Union that trend will probably continue. More low-costcarriers are expected to enter Slovenia and therefore prices for air services shoulddrop, which will additionally contribute to the increase in the number of passengers.(4) The determination of regional centres and their gravitational hinterlandrepresenting the vehicles of a more coordinated regional development requires theseparation of competencies, conditions and criteria for the provision of populationmobility between the state and the local authorities. Regional centres will encouragethe development of intermodal passenger terminals, where different public passengertransport systems and personal modes of transport will meet. Where possible,around large urban centres parking spaces should be constructed near railway andbus stations, which provide connections with the main municipal public-transportoperators.(5) In accordance with the forecasts of the Statistical Office of the Republic ofSlovenia (SURS) in 2020 older population will account for 18% of the totalpopulation. High demands of this population group in relation to safety, comfort and7

goods, flexibility with regard to quantities, in-time delivery, undamaged goods etc. Onthe one hand, the development of information technologies with its double roleenables a more effective control of traffic flows and in particular their structuring intoan intermodal way; on the other hand, information technologies speed upglobalisation by promoting information flow, movement of goods and capital andpopulation mobility. For this reason, transport services grow at a higher rate thanother services, in particular in comparison to commercial production activities.(2) Effective monitoring and management of goods flows require the introduction ofa model of collecting data on traffic flows in every transport system. This will assurebetter comparison of goods transport among various transport systems and theplanning of measures for the improvement of logistic services and their sale ininternational markets. It will be in particular an analytical basis for appropriatedetermination of user fees for the entire infrastructure, which will be based onmarginal social costs.(3) Through improved organisation, technology, techniques and better adaptabilityroad transport could meet the market needs much easier and take over a highershare of transport operations. Data on goods transport by rail also indicate a positivetrend, however, not to such an extent as in road transport. In Slovenia, railwayshave combined transport terminals and loading-unloading stations or transhipmentterminals with different technologies and could be offered within the framework ofintermodal transport. For reasons of inflexibility of services, sidings, which in the pastprovided access to industrial plants by rail, have been abandoned in the last decade.The reasons are in particular the reconstruction of the economy, winding up oftransport-intensive undertakings and last but not least the cancellation of the State'sco-financing of the construction of sidings.(4) From the aspect of road transport the major benefits for economic supply willbe evident through the elimination of bottlenecks resulting from the upgrading of themotorway network and its connection to the Pan-European transport corridors. Theroad transport system needs to gain importance in middle-distance and long-distancetransport operations, whereby the importance of intermodal hubs at regional andinterregional level is to be exposed.(5) Slovenia's maritime position is the key factor for the development of the overalltransport system, because the port of Koper is an important source and sink of cargoflows. Through the development of the port and the hinterland transport infrastructure(motorways, railways) additional cargo volumes will be transported within ourtransport system and increase the utilisation of its capacities and consequently alsostrengthen economy. The establishment of a system of motorways of the sea willprovide the possibility of opening new sea connections between European ports.The cargo port of Koper will also get the opportunity for further development if itestablishes relevant connections with the European transport infrastructure. In thecargo port of Koper the increase in port services for the international market dependson the exchange of goods between countries in this gravitational area, theinternational exchange of goods with Slovenia, the capability of the port to offer awide variety of additional services on the market (for example within the framework ofdistribution centres), the attractiveness of the entire logistic offer in Slovenia and thestatus of the port within the maritime and port policy of the European Union. Thegrowth of port services in the port of Koper also depends on the appropriate land9

transport infrastructure for the connection with the hinterland, in particular the roadand railway infrastructure.(6) The changes in the post-industrial society, such as the transfer of production tocountries with cheaper workforce, and the integration of the Slovenian economy intoglobalisation processes and into world economy was the reason for increaseddemand for air cargo services. The demand for air cargo transport is likely tocontinue growing, in particular with the integration of Slovenia into Wider Europe. Thedevelopment of air cargo transport depends on the development of logistic andbusiness zones within Slovenian public airports. Besides, a significant share of aircargo is being carried by road. Within the development of the overall transportationsystem possibilities should be provided for airport development, in particular from theaspect of introducing connections with other transport systems and encouraging thedevelopment of new logistic services (logistics centres, business zones, technologicalparks, logistic trade zones etc.). Air transport costs cannot be compared to the costsof other transport systems, and for this reason in most cases only long-distancetransport of high value goods (light weight and low volume) is economically viable.(7) When looking for optimum supply chains, users of transport services do notonly require services performed by a single mode of transport, but rather globallogistics services. Within such systems cargo is being transferred from one transportsystem to another with regard to the optimum transport route taking intoconsideration the time and cost aspect. Therefore, Slovenia will within its transportpolicy create conditions for the full operation of logistics centres, where cargo is beingtransferred form one mode of transport to another, for example from sea and airtransport routes to land transport routes, from road to rail and vice versa. The Statewill support intermodal transport through an appropriate fiscal policy. The offer ofoverall logistic services within the economic supply and through the interconnectionof providers of such services will along with the implementation of a modern andcost-effective environmental transport policy provide economic viability ofintermodality within the national goods transport (road, rail) in the long term.Slovenia will strongly support the development of new technologies, which willprovide different forms of intermodal transport, external logistics or globaloptimisation of supply chains and the reduction in adverse environmental effects oftransport.(8) Slovenia's great potential for the development of service activities (in particularin the field of transport and related logistic services) is not only important in thenational economic supply but also in the economic supply at European level. Thispotential is based on Slovenia's geographic position which makes it as a country atthe external EU border and a country where TEN Network directions and motorwaysof the sea cross, an entry and exit point to and from all directions of Central andSouth-Eastern Europe. In this area, Slovenia is lagging behind its neighbouringcountries. The vision of economic supply is primarily based on solutions toward theelimination of bottlenecks, the transfer of cargo from road to rail and on thedevelopment of intermodal technologies. For this reason, Slovenia needs to havefreight transport based on overall logistic solutions – for example on the supply chainmanagement, global planning of external logistics and the application of informationtechnologies for monitoring and control of goods flows.10

(9) The system of charging infrastructure user fees must be based on marketprinciples. Coordinated fiscal policy and policy of infrastructure user fee chargingmay, taking into account marginal social costs incurred by the implementation oftransport activities, contribute to a more balanced burdening of individual transportinfrastructures and to a more harmonised development of transport activities inSlovenia. Charging of marginal social costs for the use of transport infrastructuremeans that the users of transport infrastructure do not cover only the costs ofinfrastructure construction, maintenance and management, but also the costsincurred by users: for example costs of accidents, increased transport costs as aresult of traffic congestions, and costs which must be paid for by the society as awhole (such as environmental damage, noise emission damage). These costs andconsequently also the price of transport infrastructure use are to be determineddynamically, with regard to the circumstances and the utilisation of infrastructurecapacities. Charging of marginal social costs of transport infrastructure use is mostefficient if the costs are consistently charged in the overall transport infrastructure.This ensures an optimum distribution of transport burdens among individualconnections of the same transport technology and among different transporttechnologies.(10) By maintaining the present situation, which means without adopting themeasures stated below, in the near future Slovenia's transport system will beoverburdened. This will result in the increase in social costs incurred by theimplementation of transport services (traffic congestion, pollution, reduced trafficsafety etc.). The situation should be solved at different levels:– payment of user fees with regard to marginal social costs will provide a timelydistribution of traffic flows, which will result in better utilization of road infrastructurecapacities (increase in actual capacity) and traffic congestion relief,– construction of additional transport surfaces, in particular sections which wouldeliminate critical points (the so called "bottlenecks"),– payment of user fees with regard to marginal social costs will stimulate thedevelopment of overall logistic services using mainly the railway transport system;this will cause certain transport flows to be rerouted to parallel transport systems(railway) where currently over-capacities are still available.(11) Charging of marginal social costs for the use of transport infrastructure meansthat users of transport infrastructure do not cover only the costs of transportinfrastructure construction, maintenance and management, but also the costs thathave to be paid for by the society as a whole (for example environmental damage,noise emission damage, costs of accidents, increase of transport costs as a result oftraffic congestions etc.). These costs and consequently also the price of transportinfrastructure use are to be determined dynamically, with regard to the circumstancesand the utilisation of transport infrastructure capacities. Charging of marginal socialcosts for transport infrastructure use is most efficient if the costs are consistentlycharged in the overall transport infrastructure. This ensures an optimum distributionof transport burdens among individual connections of the same transport technologyand among different transport technologies. The income from the charged user feesneed not be used for the development of the infrastructure as a whole, but for thedevelopment of those infrastructure segments which provide the best results fortransport and consequently also the best return.11

(12) Slovenia's branched transport network and its geographical characteristicsnecessitate the establishment of regional intermodal centres which should linktransport systems and offer effective logistic service supply to regional economies.(13) The White Paper of the European Union (European Transport Policy for 2010:time to decide) states among the measures in the field of railway transport servicesalso the following:– liberalisation of railway transport in the European Union (trains staff, internationalpassenger transport, freight transport by rail),– cabotage in railway freight transport,– interoperability,– measures for railway services quality assurance and protection of passengerrights,– unification of safety and ecological criteria.(14) The port of Koper is an intersection point of important sea and land routes andone of the entry and exit ports for Central European countries. The geographicposition of the port of Koper at two important directions of the Trans-EuropeanNetwork (TEN) and at the Adriatic-Ionian Maritime Route gives good conditions forthe concentration of international trade flows and makes it one of the port's basiccompetitive advantages. The utilization of logistic advantages of the port of Kopermay offer the Slovenian and the Central European economy additional opportunitiesfor entering overseas markets. The port of Koper will also play an important role inlinking the hinterland economy with European motorways of the sea. However, thiswill require appropriate investments into the development of transport infrastructure.(15) The state will encourage research and development projects in the transportsector – in the area of economy as well as in education – and thereby strengthen thescope and power of the transport sector and contribute to employment growth.3. TRANSPORT POLICY OBJECTIVES3.1. General objectives(1) The Lisbon strategy has defined as a central objective of the European Uniondevelopment until 2010 the increased competitiveness of economy and thedevelopment of science and technology, which is reflected also in strategicdocuments of economic development evaluating the objectives from the aspect ofwelfare of the population of Slovenia.(2) The priority list of the general objectives of transport policy at the national levelis as follows:1. internalisation of external costs incurred by transport2. reaching the social optimum in the part referring to the transport sector3. increased transport safety and protection4. efficient energy consumption and clean environment5. increased volume and quality of public passenger road and rail transport6. transfer of transit goods to railway7. harmonised operation of the entire transport system12

8. establishment of intelligent transportation systems architecture with theimplementation of regional, national and European specificities, policies and interests9. raising awareness and providing information to population on sustainablemobility10. providing necessary transport infrastructure for land as well as maritime and airtransport following the principles of sustainable and harmonised regionaldevelopment11. providing reliable, safe, price competitive and environment friendly transport infreight and passenger transport12. optimum exploitation of available sources13. established operation of market economy effects14. deregulation of individual transport subsystems and sale of state ownershipinterest in accordance with the legislation in force where public interest is not at riskand private providers may, following the market economy principle, provide a morecompetitive and quality service whereas the safety level may not be lowered15. precise targeting of fiscal measures to provide the services which may not beprovided as such by principles of market economy3.2. Passenger transport sector(1) With regard to the objectives of individual systems, the priority of transportpolicy is to ensure mobility of service users within a comprehensive system of publicpassenger transport whose attractive prices and service quality shall promote theshifting of passengers from personal to public passenger transport. A good system ofregular public bus and rail passenger transport is in the public interest for severalreasons (at least social, ecological and economic). Therefore there should be asystematic and systemic implementation of measures for the regulation ofcompetition in the system of regular public bus and rail passenger transport.(2) In order to change travel habits in urban areas, the measures of promotion ofwalking, use of bicycles and public passenger transport shall be implemented as wellas the raised ecological awareness of population. The implementation of low-costmeasures of management and regulation of mobility must be supported. An initiativefor the development of the network of bicycle routes in Europe has been made at theEuropean Union level. In the framework of the increased mobility of population,Slovenia, too, is a part of the international bicycle route network. Positive measuresof transport policy as regards bicycle routes and footpaths shall be measurable byincreased number of metres of continuous bicycle routes, increased number of usersof public passenger transport, reduced air pollution level in urban centres, increasednumber of physically active persons in travel habits and reduced number of trafficaccidents involving cyclists. One of the most important objectives of transport policyis to connect bicycle routes with public passenger transport stops and parking spacesfor motor vehicles.(3) An important segment in the development of tourist industry related to thesystem of passenger transport is also the three marinas of Slovenia. In the periodfrom 1995 to 2000 the maritime public passenger transport annually transportedalmost 40.000 passengers. Inland waterway transport (on lakes and rivers) isorganised on the basis of tourist supply and demand. One of the objectives is alsothe establishment of passenger maritime transport in the broader region organised oncommercial basis, and the solution of the cabotage problem with Croatia.13

(4) Significant capacities of airports in Slovenia and the need for the developmentof technology parks require a rapid development of both passenger transport in airtransport and the development of airport services and infrastructure of public airportsin Slovenia. This requires maximum safety, optimum conditions for the developmentof air transport and supporting services, supervision of conditions of free market inthe civil air transport, creation of conditions for investments in air infrastructure andservices, implementation of uniform transport policy and harmonisation of intermodaltechnologies. Air passenger transport experiences a constant growth; the opening ofSlovenia to a broader European area and the increasing competition of air carrierswithin the European Union indicate the continuation of this trend. The occurrence oflow-cost airlines and reduced prices of air transport have opened such travel to abroad circle of people, which constantly increases the number of passengers.However, the specificity of natural beauty and ecological balance must be preserved,which requires the design of airport zones creating an area in which animals andplants live in the same living conditions as elsewhere.3.3. Freight transport sector(1) The objective in the field of rail freight transport services is to acquire a majorityshare of freight transport in international and transit road transport, including porttransit, both in the field of classic and multimodal transport and transport ofdangerous goods. A special attention should be paid to the quality of services, wherethe parameter of reliability of the transport of goods is increasingly important. In theinland and international transport, also in cooperation with maritime transport, theoffer must be expanded with the new harmonised services of “door to door” transportand price competitive transports.(2) Freight transport by road in Slovenia is operated by private and public sectors.The mission of freight transport by road is the supply of logistic centres where freightpasses from one transport technology to another and from one transport system toanother with the same technology (intermodal transport). Measures shall bedesignated for stable and sustainable development of freight transport by road inSlovenia, which shall, inter alia, encourage operators to develop such services andtechnologies and market them accordingly as well as contribute to their internationalcompetitiveness.(3) Through the implementation of transport policy in the air transport field, thestate shall continue to strengthen the conditions for the development of efficientmarket structure, abolish monopolies or regulate those monopolies, which cannot beabolished. The objective of the transport policy is a competitive air freight transportmarket where users are given a choice of maximum number of different providerswith diverse offer. The implementation of these measures shall result in the growthrate of volume of transported cargo higher than the present rate. A special attentionin the transport policy framework shall have to be paid to the only major domesticprovider of such services. The task of the state is to create conditions for themaximally open European market entry. Specific conditions in Slovenia, great airportcapacities and needs for the development of technology parks direct the possibilitiesof development of air freight transport and thus the construction of business orlogistic centres next to airports. The objective of transport policy in the field of airfreight transport is to increase the rate of this transport to that reached in the14

European Union, to ensure maximum reliability and appropriate conditions for itsdevelopment as well as the development of airport services and infrastructure ofpublic airports in Slovenia. Conditions of free market in the freight air transport mustbe supervised, conditions for investments in the development of airport services mustbe created, and intermodal means of freight transport must be provided through theexpansion of appropriate infrastructural connections. The process must consider thespecificity of natural beauty and ecological balance.4. TRANSPORT POLICY MEASURES4.1. General measures(1) The key measure of transport policy shall be the introduction of the system ofpaying for the use of transport infrastructure on the principle of border social costs(i.e. costs incurred by users to themselves, other infrastructure users and society ingeneral). Thus one of the basic transport policy objectives shall be attained in thefield of the use of infrastructure, i.e. the social optimum in the part referring to thetransport sector (Pareto optimum). Pareto optimum says that the resources in asociety are optimally distributed and provide the highest possible level of overallprosperity. And the increased level of prosperity of the population of Slovenia and theEuropean Union is our common objective.(2) The general transport policy measures are:1. elaboration of a comprehensive transport model with corresponding calculationof sources and intermodality of connections and sources,2. elaboration of national development plan on optimum harmonisation of transportsystem subject to international obligations of Slovenia,3. development of transport infrastructure as a prerequisite for uniform andsynchronic system operation,4. involvement of private capital in the development of transport infrastructure andtransport services wherever private initiative may contribute to the achievement ofdesired results and thus to the unburdening of public finance,5. development of new transport techniques and technologies less burdensome forthe environment,6. education and training, information and marketing with the aim to raiseawareness of the importance of transport system, its operation and optimum use oftransport infrastructure,7. fiscal measures by which the state shall encourage comprehensive logisticsolutions and a uniform system of public passenger transport,8. provisions and other instruments regulating especially the conditions ofdevelopment of quality market structure and supporting comprehensive logisticservices and a uniform operation of public passenger transport,9. promotion of use of more economic and ecologically more acceptable vehicles.(3) With a view to reduce the number of road accidents caused by the state of theroad infrastructure, Slovenia shall implement the following measures:1. elimination of black spots and dangerous sections,2. calming traffic in settlements,3. installation of traffic management and driver warning systems,4. construction of parks for safe driving practice.15

(4) In order to implement the transport policy measures, Slovenia shall ensuresystematic evaluation of information and a quality information system for theidentification of the condition of roads and road safety, as well as correspondingservices for identification, monitoring and information.(5) Slovenia shall ensure the continuation of the existing trend of reduction ofincidents in rail transport. Outstanding neuralgic points in terms of safety are levelcrossings of railways and roads. The improved conditions in this field requirenecessary financial resources for consistent implementation of the Safety of RailwayTransport Act (SRTA) (Uradni list RS (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia),No. 102/04 – officially consolidated text). Further improvement of the safety situationrequires quality maintenance of the railway infrastructure and rolling stock with regardto the European technical specifications under the Council Directive 2001/16/EC of19 March 2001 on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional rail system.Human factor is an important safety factor. Appropriate professional competence andcompliance with regulations are an important part of safety policy. The attainment ofthe indicative objective requires:1. development and maintenance of railways and rolling stock,2. reduced number of level crossings of road and railway and increased number ofnon-level crossings,3. continuous information of users and education and training of all participants inthe rail transport,4. improved operation of inspection services, full organisational independence ofall subjects in rail transport,5. adaptation of railways for a competitive market entry,6. implementation of the second European Union railway regulation set in theregulations from the field of rail transport safety.(6) In the field of air transport, Slovenia shall follow the development of safetyrequirements derived from the obligations of Slovenia as a member of internationalair transport associations. The safety in air transport requires:1. adoption of appropriate regulations referring to safety and technical conditions,training of experts for efficient analysis of aircraft accidents, and development ofefficient preventive measures,2. concentration of management which shall observe the interests of users andprovide a better organised and managed uniform service,3. construction of appropriate infrastructure (navigation installations, procedures,control tower and new regional air transport control centre),4. implementation of administrative and expert tasks in the air transport field withina uniform authority,5. integration of Slovenia in the programme of expansion and standardisation ofthe European sky.(7) Slovenia shall continue to maintain a high level of safety in maritime transport.The safety in maritime transport requires:1. definition of competences and organisation of activities in services responsiblefor the safety of maritime transport,2. continuous education and training of maritime transport staff and all participantsin maritime transport,3. organisation of information activities in order to monitor meteorological situationand other information related to coastal navigation.16

(8) Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure better conditions for the development ofmaritime transport with a view to increase the number of Slovenian maritime staff andthus create conditions for Slovenian maritime staff and shipowners for a competitiveglobal market entry. This objective shall be achieved by amended tax legislation, theintroduction of tonnage tax as an encouragement to shipowners to fly the Slovenianflag, and by amended income tax legislation for maritime staff.4.2. Measures in the passenger transport sector(1) The term public passenger transport (public transport of passengers in roadand rail transport) indicates the provision of services of group transport for the needsof general public between certain locations in a certain time, regardless of the legalstatus or ownership structure of the manager of the means of transport. Thedevelopment of society encourages the development of contemporary publicpassenger transport in the framework of developing a private service of grouptransport, i.e. the service provided by a natural or legal person within a uniform publictransport system. This system necessarily stresses the improved connectionsbetween individual types of transport, especially through transfer points, theestablishment of a common information system and the introduction of group ticketfor the entire transport service. In the framework of public passenger services, thepublic services of group transport within public interest must be provided, too. Theseinclude all those transport services an individual provider would not provide out ofmarket interest, but nevertheless provides them due to the interest of localcommunity or state. These are the services defined by a local community or the stateas services within public interest and supported as such through an exclusive right,concession contract or public service contract.(2) Slovenia shall provide a satisfactory population mobility level, which must bebased on the use of the transport system most appropriate in a given situation,through the following measures:1. efficient and attractive public passenger transport system which shall reduce theneed for use of cars,2. intermodality of public passenger transport ensuring the connection of differentsystems through accessible intermodal passenger transport terminals,3. appropriate pricing and fiscal policy which may ensure relatively equal mobilityconditions from the economic aspect,4. provision of satisfactory level of transport safety and environmental protection aswell as prevention of terrorist activities,5. determination of quality from the aspect of usefulness of service for users andimplementation of quality control,6. integration of services on all possible levels (physically, logistically, financiallyetc.),7. availability of appropriate routes for means of transport in public passengertransport,8. appropriate quantity and quality standards in the field of public passengertransport,9. improved cost effectiveness achieved especially through the introduction ofprocedure of competitive tender for the provision of services,17

10. improved access and reliability of public transport network – both byappropriate planning of routes and range of services and by means of activeinformation system,11. increased use of intelligent transport systems (ITS),12. a uniform ticket for the entire public passenger transport system,13. introduction of parking lots, areas for entry and exit of passengers, bicyclerentals, taxi services and services of passenger information on the hubs of publicpassenger transport system, which shall integrate passenger cars in the publictransport system,14. provision of mobility to socially threatened population by appropriate pricingpolicy of transport,15. access to public passenger transport for physically and sensorially impairedpersons, which shall reduce the need for use of passenger cars and contribute to theincreased mobility and equal opportunities for this group of population,16. integration of service providers in planning daily activities (creation of commondatabases and communication systems),17. production of common information documents for staff and users of publicpassenger transport,18. supply of reliable and continuous information for passenger transport serviceusers,19. integrated pedagogical and adult education and training in transport,20. integration of special regular services of passengers in a uniform system ofpublic passenger transport,21. encouragement and development of offer of cross border public passengertransport through development and cohesion funds.(3) In the framework of public passenger transport the ministry competent fortransport shall establish an efficient uniform system of contractual relations for theprovision of public transport services, which may be provided only upon sufficientsupport of public finances. The stress shall be placed on a uniform system enablingnegotiations, arrangements and supervision of the entire public passenger transportsystem within the transport policy. The aim of the transport policy implementation isto achieve positive effects of increased number of routes as a result of increaseddemand for public passenger transport services, which in turn increases the qualityand flexibility of the public system and thus meets the increasing needs, the resultbeing the increased number of users of public passenger transport (Mohring effect).4.3. Measures in the freight transport sector(1) Slovenia shall create conditions for quality provision of logistic serviceswith the aim to maintain the concentration of trade flows and subsequently generatea higher value addedas well as increase the employment rate in this economic field. Efficient supply toeconomy shall be implemented through the following measures:1. consistent organisation of relations between the state and economy in the fieldof public infrastructure management,2. capacity-building of railway operator for a quality and aggressive transportmarket entry, which shall contribute to an efficient restructuring of the transportsector,3. efficient provision of rail transport services in the conditions of liberalised railfreight transport,18

4. opening of domestic transport market to foreign operators (with intensifiedsupervision of trading conditions and subject to reciprocity),5. provision of satisfactory level of technical safety of transport and protection,6. efficient integration of transport sector and promotion of quality services, whichshall enable efficient implementation of common goals for quality supply to economy,7. fiscal policy measures and other measures for the promotion of intermodalityand focusing of the transport system on contemporary solutions in supply chains,where such state measures must be economically justified,8. encouraged development of logistic centres, transhipment terminals andintermodal hubs which shall provide quality logistic services and management ofsupply chains with joint investments of economy and the state,9. development of the model of investment of private capital for the modernisationand construction of contemporary transhipment terminals in ports and airports inSlovenia, which shall provide a more efficient connection of land transport withmaritime and air transport,10. system of comparable charges of transport infrastructure which enables anefficient use of the entire transport infrastructure upon the consideration of bordersocial costs incurred by individual transport systems and users,11. consistent consideration and implementation of international agreements ontransport of dangerous goods in all transport systems, which shall reduce the threatof environment pollution in this freight transport segment due to the supervision andmanagement of transport of dangerous goods,12. creating conditions for the competition on the transport market andencouragement of comprehensive logistic services in the sense of planning globalexternal logistics of cooperation of industry and transport operators and themanagement of supply chains; this shall result in efficient supply to economy,potential employment in transport sector and a greater competitiveness of Slovenianeconomy on the global market,13. encouragement of research and introduction of innovative, environmentfriendly services in supply to economy, which shall represent the transport sectorcontribution in the implementation of the Kyoto protocol,14. development of appropriate legal order, standards and examples of goodpractice, multilateral or bilateral agreements and efficient supervision of theimplementation thereof, which shall create conditions for efficient participation ofSlovenian providers of logistic services in the international market.15. development of appropriate education system in the field of transport.4.4. Measures in the area of transport infrastructure(1) Through development initiatives and structural, cohesion and other Europeanfunds and programmes, Slovenia shall to the maximum extent finance theconstruction of the urgent infrastructure and the introduction of new logistic solutions.Intensified activities are necessary for the realisation of the set objectives in the nearfuture.(2) The transport policy measures in the field of supply to economy refer primarilyto the intensified modernisation of transport infrastructure, internal transportconnections in the country and integration in international transport flows, especiallyin the trans-European networks (TEN). The process must consider also theconstruction of necessary connections to logistics and distribution centres andterminals of intermodal freight transport.19

(3) Objectives in the area of transport infrastructure shall be achieved by thefollowing measures:1. efficient spatial planning ensuring a long-term efficient infrastructuralconnections between individual locations,2. capacity-building of public railway infrastructure, which shall enable theprovision of quality, reliable and reasonably priced services of passenger transportboth in suburban and intercity as well as in international passenger transport, and theservices of classic and multimodal freight transport,3. expansion and maintenance of the existing motorway system and other nationalroads as development axes which shall properly connect Slovenian developmentcentres and the motorway system,4. construction and maintenance of airport structure and supporting objects for theneeds of supplementary activities,5. construction and maintenance of appropriate port infrastructure,6. appropriate maintenance and modernisation of existing transport infrastructureand development of new transport connections,7. encouraged revitalisation of industrial railway tracks whenever this is justified byeconomic and public interest,8. investments in transport infrastructure providing equal conditions of access topersons with permanently or temporarily reduced physical or sensorial abilities(disabled, elderly, mothers with children, pregnant women…),9. construction and maintenance of non-motorised transport promoting the use ofbicycles and walking on appropriate relations,10. provision of permanent system source for the funding of the public transportinfrastructure not enabled desired operation and contemporary development bymarket business effects (railway infrastructure, national roads…).(4) The provision of appropriate transport infrastructure and incentives in openingtransport connections and support in entry in the new markets shall enable thetransport systems a more competitive entry in the transport market of the EuropeanUnion.5. TRANSPORT POLICY INSTITUTIONS(1) The role of transport policy institutions is to provide equal conditions of entry inthe transport market in Slovenia and to provide equal management conditions to alltransport market participants. Transport policy institutions are divided in transportpolicy makers and transport policy implementing authorities. The transport policymakers are:- the National Assembly,- the government with competent ministries,- local communities,- companies and associations, science and research institutions.(2) Pursuant to the determined objectives and orientations of this transport policythe ministry competent for transport shall prepare appropriate regulations, nationalprogrammes and other acts for the realisation of this transport policy.(3) The ministry competent for transport shall be the principal institution in theimplementation of this transport policy. It shall supervise the coordination of other20

implementing authorities and influence the transport flows, their courses anddistribution. To that end:- it shall pursue the objectives set in this transport policy in the proposals forpreparation of the national budget and prepare the system of incentives to othertransport policy implementing authorities, which shall reward the implementingauthorities following the orientations of this transport policy; furthermore, it shallundertake the preparation of appropriate regulations and other acts laying down alsothe development of the transport infrastructure,- it shall, within its competences and possibilities, see to the harmonisation of thenational policy in the fields not directly related to the transport of passengers andgoods but nevertheless influencing the generation of transport flows.(4) Authorities under the responsibility of the ministry competent for transport,holders of public authorisations and public utility service contractors in the field oftransport shall act in accordance with this transport policy and see to theimplementation of tasks on the basis of the outlined policy in the framework ofadopted plans and available options.(5) Constructive cooperation with the ministry competent for the interior shall berequired especially in the field of safety and protection, supervision of the transport ofgoods and dangerous goods, and compliance with legislative requirements.(6) The implementation of strategic policies in the field of transport shall require thecoordination with the ministry competent for the environment and spatial planning inorder to ensure:- harmonised regional development from the aspect of appropriate allocation ofeconomic operators and main supply centres with appropriate transport connections,- rational use of physical space and increased management of negativeenvironmental impacts of transport,- appropriate placing of transport infrastructure in physical space in order to ensuresustainable development,- more equitable allocation of negative environmental impacts to different transportsubsystems,- relevant financing sources for the maintenance and modernisation of thetransport infrastructure in the Republic of Slovenia,- reduced greenhouse gas emissions, for Slovenia took up the commitment toreduce the average annual greenhouse emission rate in the period from 2008 to2012 by 8 per cent in regard to the base year 1986.(7) The cooperation with the ministry competent for economy shall concernespecially the creation of conditions for the establishment of an efficient marketstructure and fair competition in the field of transport.(8) The cooperation with the ministry competent for finance shall concernespecially the fiscal policy measures supporting intermodal transport andimplementation of other objectives of this transport policy.(9) Local communities shall manage the municipal or local transport infrastructures(local roads, bicycle lanes, parking spaces…). Local communities shall cooperatewith the state administration in the education of the local transport infrastructure21

users, development of an efficient system of public passenger transport anddevelopment of economic activity zones which must be appropriately connected tothe transport system.(10) The ministry competent for transport shall influence the economy throughnormative measures and contractual relations between the state and other subjects.The state shall establish contractual relations so as to allow companies andassociations, science and research institutions and civil society constructive an activeparticipation in the implementation of this transport policy. The policy shall bereflected both in regulations and other legislation and in seeking optimal solutions forthe market infrastructure development, the strengthening of competitive position ofthe transport sector in Slovenia and in the European union. Furthermore, it shallprovide support to those activities whose existence cannot be ensured merely by theoperation in the free market.6. CONCLUSIONThe objective of the transport policy is to provide conditions for optimum mobility inSlovenia and its integration in the European area. A particular stress is placed on thetransport as an industry and on achieving the social optimum. Its harmonisedmeasures in the field of transport services shall enable provision of efficient, reliable,safe and favourably priced transport of passengers and goods. The measures in thefield of public transport infrastructure shall ensure its harmonised development. Theobjective of reducing negative transport impacts both on the environment and on thepopulation by the establishment of appropriate transport system in Slovenia shallthus be achieved.Ljubljana, 3 May 2006Presidentof the National Assemblyof the Republic of SloveniaFrance Cukjati22