General Assembly session was also held during the SC session.
Minutes of the Athens session were adopted.
The Secretary General emphasized the direct cooperation with the 3 ASECAP COPERS to the members, and indicated the strong interest of the members concerning the communicating policy/strategy of ASECAP Secretariat in the new EU transport scenarios. Additionally, proposals for assisting the SC in considering and adopting the mid-term plan, along with the description of the Association’s principle goals and strategy. It is necessary for ASECAP to examine the new EU transport framework; to define the ASECAP planning in the alternative scenaria in the tolling industry concerning the EETS applications, the EETS roles and the EETS stakeholders; to re-examine the ASECAP structures aiming at strengthening the role of the Association facilitating in parallel all the members to participate actively, according to their roles/structures, in the future planning and the future actions of the Association.
Within the EU issues, the members discussed ASECAP structure / role and the active participation of the members, as well as the special ASECAP activities as a response to the EU Transport White Paper: TENs / Eurovignette / PPP / ASECAP EETS strategy / Political discussion on the future scenaria, ASECAP safety action plan: Information, ASECAP common ITS oriented policy: Information/actions adopted.
The Secretary General and the 3 COPER chairs presented the basic political actions of the Association, which could be focused on a number of concrete objectives and guidelines within the EETS domain, the Eurovignette Directive, PPP domain, road safety framework and the ITS in research and deployment domains.
The Steering Committee agreed with the proposal/comment that the present period in EU was a sensitive period demanding for prudent and coordinated actions, and more specifically, it was underlined that although the Transport White Papers and research ideas would always be kept as part of the EU future orientations, however the priorities should be devoted to prudent, legally committing actions directly affecting the transport market.
Detailed reference was made on the ITS deployment in the EU transport system where ITS would stop being just “a bottom up research oriented gathering of interesting ideas” and would become a “more top-down, legally binding mechanism”. Within the COPER III domain, a document stating that a high-level ITS Advisory Group should be established within the EC was presented.
The Steering Committee authorized the ASECAP President to examine the EC modalities regarding the name or names of the high level personality (ies) to represent ASECAP and propose the ASECAP representative (s) and inform them accordingly, whereas the personalities proposed were the ASECAP Secretary General and the COPER III chair.
Members agreed with the proposal that ASECAP and its members should undertake coordinated activities towards the EU fora and media.
Report of the Steering Committee to the General Assembly on the 2010 activities was unanimously accepted. Auditor’s report on 2010 execution and the approval of the report on financial accounts in 2010 were also unanimously accepted.
The Steering Committee authorized the Secretary General to present to the General Assembly an oral report on the future ASECAP strategy and action plan.
Detailed information on 2012 ASECAP Study days to be held in Turin was presented to the members.
Compliant to the ASECAP Bylaws, the election of ASECAP presidential bodies was also held at this session. The only candidate for ASECAP president was Mr. Klaus Schierhackl from ASFINAG CFO. SC unanimously elected Mr. Klaus Schierhackl president. SC decided that there would be only one Vice President, and not three, which is the maximum number of Vice Presidents stipulated by the Bylaws. The Steering Committee nominated Mr. J. L. Feito as the Honorary ASECAP President and elected him to also be acting as Vice President of the Association.
The next SC session will be held in Slovenia, on November 29th, 2011.
The first 2012 session will be held on March 06th, 2012, whereas the ASECAP Road Safety Event will be organized on March 05th, 2012.
