The Community of European Railways

The Community of European Railways(CER)is the leading European railway organisation anda part of the International Union of Railways.It was founded in 1988 with 12 members and now brings together 72 railway undertakings and infrastructure companies – private and state-owned, large and small.

European Railways recognise that their future depends on the international dimension.

At the international level the railways are relatively free to apply the most appropriate models in the common interest. The development of international train networks is accompanied by recognition of the need to adapt future services to the technological opportunities offered by high speeds and vehicle design and to the principles of service marketing.

The governance structure of the CER rests in three main bodies: the General Assembly, the Management Committee and the Assistants Group.

The General Assembly is the decision-making body of the CER. All member companies are represented by their chief executive or director general.

The Management Committee prepares the decisions of the General Assembly. It consists of the CER Chairman, three Vice-Chairmen and further members elected by the General Assembly. The size of the Management Committee is limited to a maximum of 14 members.

The Assistants Group helps to facilitate the continuous exchange of information between the CER and its members. The CER members are represented by their international/European affairs managers.

The goals of the CER are: 1) to represent the railway’s interests, 2) to aid the development of the railway transportation and policy in the European Union, 3) to develop the partnership between the members of the European Union.

European Railways concentrate their efforts on effective speeds between economic centres, quality control and transit reliability, information systems and modal flexibility.

The development of high-speed lines and technology adds a new dimension to inter-urban opportunities for railway development. Nowadays European high-speed lines link economic centers and open opportunities for technological development of railway signalling, train construction and trading all over the world.

Questions for discussion:

1. What is the Community of European Railways?

2. What are the advantages of European Railways` cooperation?

3. What is the development of international train networks accompanied by?

4. What are the governance bodies of the CER?

5. What is the decision-making body of the CER?

6. What is the role of the Management Committee?

7. What is the Assistants Group responsible for?

8. What are the goals of the CER?

9. What do European Railways concentrate their efforts on?

10. Why is the development of high-speed lines important for the future of the railways?

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Developmental Organizations (International and National)

Financing is always a major problem in tourism development. Large financial organizations are willing to make developmental loans. Examples include the World Bank (United States), International Finance Corporation (United States), the OPEC Fund for International Development (Austria), African Development Bank (Cote d’Ivoire), East African Development Bank (Uganda), Inter-American Development Bank (United States), Caribbean Development Bank (Barbados), Asian Development Bank (Philippines), European Investment Bank (Luxembourg), European Regional Development Fund (Belgium), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (United Kingdom), Islamic Development Bank (Saudi Arabia), and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (Kuwait).

Examples of national organizations are FONATUR (Mexico) and Embratur (Brazil). Further sources include governments of countries that want additional hotel development or other supply components and are willing to make low-interest loans or grants or offer other financial inducements for such types of development.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was set up under a convention, signed in Paris on December 14, 1960, that provides that the OECD shall promote policies designed to

a) achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising Developmental Organizations (International and National) in member countries while maintaining financial stability and, thus, to contribute to the development of the world economy;

b) contribute to sound economic expansion in member as well as nonmember countries in the process of economic development; and (3) contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, nondiscriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations.

Members of OECD are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. OECD’s Tourism Committee acts as a forum of exchange for monitoring policies and structural changes affecting the development of international tourism. It encourages further liberalization of tourism activities, both within and outside the OECD area, and has undertaken the development of innovative statistics to improve the understanding of the role of tourism in the economy. Its recent study, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2010, provides a review of tourism trends and policies carried out by the OECD tourism committee, assesses the long-term evolution of tourism in the OECD area over the last two decades, and the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on the tourism industry. Also, for the first time it analyzes data and policy trends in 12 non-OECD countries, including large emerging economies such as Brazil, China, and India.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the main problem in tourism development?

2. What financial organizations can you name willing to make developmental loans?

3. What are the governments greatly interested in?

4. What do they do for this purpose?

5. When was OECD set up?

6. What does it provide?

7. What does OECD’s Tourism Committee act for?

8. What countries are involved in it?

9. Do you feel the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on the tourism industry?

10. What way is the global financial and economic crisis on the tourism industry expressed?

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