Remit

The shift towards a pan-European approach to transport was confirmed at the Conference of Transport Ministers in Helsinki.

EU transport policy and legislation are gradually being applied in all countries throughout Europe.

The transition to a market economy has lead to major upheaval in Central Eastern European countries: economic restructuring of businesses (with drastic cuts in heavy industry output in particular), changes in import/export traffic flows and increased competition from other transport modes.

One of UIC’s main goals is to create a pan-European area unfettered by legal, economic or technical divides, and that has also been the driving force behind the work carried out by the East - West Task Force since its inception in 1995. The Task Force comprises 12 of Europe’s largest railways. Eastern Europe is represented by the railways of Bulgaria (BDZ), the Czech Republic (CD), Romania (CFR), Hungary (MAV), Poland (PKP) and Slovakia (ZSR), while Western European members are from Germany (DB), France (SNCF), Italy (FS), Austria (OBB), Greece (CH), and Finland (VR).

The main objective of the East – West Task Force is to overcome the disabling effects that the political division of Europe has had on the rail sector. The E - W Task Force supports the process of European integration and promotes a pan-European approach to rail system interoperability, to ensure legislative, technical and operational compatibility.