MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION

Community provisions adopted pursuant to Decisions 331 and 393 regulate multimodal transport operations in the subregion.

These provisions create the appropriate legal conditions for promoting and boosting the supply and provision of multimodal transport services.  Furthermore, the Regulations for the Registry of Multimodal Transport Operators were approved through Resolution 425 of the Board of the Cartagena Agreement. 

Decision 477 was approved for the purpose of updating Community legislation concerning International Customs Transit and bringing it into line with the provisions governing multimodal transport.  Its aim is to facilitate the free circulation of goods, thereby contributing to the progressive elimination of obstacles to trade by adopting customs procedures that streamline trade among the Member Countries and between them and third countries.  These include the use of international customs transit documents that facilitate the employment of multimodal transport, as well as of systems for the exchange of information and the establishment of post clearance controls. 

In the light of growing internal trade and the need for services to transport passengers and goods effectively and efficiently, the Member Countries of the Andean Community and particularly the authorities in this sector have placed special emphasis on developing, updating and clearly establishing Community legislation to regulate the different modes of transport so that carriers and users will have appropriate regulations in place. 

Actions mandated by the Andean Presidents for the development of this sector were furthered in 2000 and 2001, including, inter alia: conducting studies to develop a Community Transport Policy covering all modalities; completing the inventory of measures that impede the liberalization of ocean transport; establishing criteria to facilitate the development of cross-border flights of subregional carriers; and updating legislation for use of the Andean Highway System.  Several of these measures, which are included in the Lima Act, Annex 2, are now in an advanced stage.