Experts

The Protocol on Sustainable Transport (Mikulov, 2014)

The Protocol on Sustainable Transport (Mikulov, 2014) to the Framework Carpathian Convention was adopted on 26 September 2014 in Mikulov at the 4th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP4). Until today this Protocol was signed by six “Carpathian” countries, except for Hungary. Poland signed this Protocol on 15 June 2015 in Kyiv, and ratified it on 6 November 2015. 

The Protocol on Sustainable Transport is not yet in force, ratified so far only by three Parties to the Framework Convention (Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland), while the entry into force requires the deposit of the fourth instrument of ratification.

The goal of the Protocol on Sustainable Transport is to enhance and facilitate cooperation of the Parties for the development of sustainable freight and passenger transport and related infrastructure in the Carpathians with the objective to contribute to the sustainable development of the region while avoiding, minimizing and, where necessary, mitigating and compensating negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of transport and related infrastructure development

The objectives of cooperation under the Protocol on Sustainable Transport include:

• development of policies of sustainable transport and related infrastructure planning and development, taking into account the specificities of the mountain environment
• development of sustainable multi-modal transport policies, which provide the socio-economic benefits of mobility and access to urban, rural, remote areas and tourist destinations in the Carpathians;
• reducing negative impacts on human health and improvement of transportation safety;
• avoiding fragmentation of natural and semi-natural habitats caused by all transport modes and related infrastructure, as well as maintenance and improvement of ecological connectivity on the local, national and regional level;
• development and promotion of environmentally friendly transport models and systems, in particular, in environmentally sensitive areas;
• incorporating sustainable transport planning and traffic management in the Carpathians, avoiding overload of transit capacities across the Carpathians where possible;
• assuring infrastructural functionality of the transport network;
• improvement or maintenance of transport infrastructure in terms of efficiency, safety, security passenger and freight mobility and emissions of greenhouse gases.

More information on the Protocol on Sustainable Transport and related activities at the Carpathian Convention website.