Transport infrastructure is the backbone of national economies.

The leaders of the specialised ministries of the Member Countries published a declaration on transport funding at the annual summit of the International Transport Forum held in Leipzig on 23 May 2013. The document, also approved by the Hungarian delegation by Minister of State for Infrastructure Pál Völner, calls for continuation of the policies aiming at the steady and sustainable financing of the sector.

The discussions of specialist ministers gathered from all parts of the world focused on the way in which the funds can be raised for the operation of transport infrastructures, services and systems to meet present-day and future requirements. In accordance with the declaration, the governmental bodies and the sector must jointly look for new solutions to ensure the steady and long-term financing of the sector. Transport infrastructure is much more than asphalt, concrete or steel: it is the backbone of national economies, providing connections for people and goods, access to jobs and services, enabling trade and the economy to grow.

The declaration asserts that defining and identifying the full scope of costs and benefits are essential for setting up cost priorities in the case of substantial investments. Transparency and reliability of revenues in the transport sector are of key importance for the implementation of strategic objectives. The processes aiming at efficient cost control must be further developed and approved in a way that limits are set for the financing required for handing over the transport projects.

The document recognises that investments in transport – including reconstruction and maintenance – improve long-term productivity, boost construction industry activity and employment in the short-term and, therefore, they are particularly timely and topical measures in economies where growth is modest.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) was founded in 2006 and counts 54 member countries at present. Hungary has been participating in the operation of the organisation and its legal predecessor, the Conference of European Ministers of Transport (CEMT) since 1991. The Forum holds its ministerial conference in Leipzig in once a year and the participants always focus on a single priority in the field of transport.

(Ministry of National Development, Division of Communication)