Mobility and European Integration

Abstract

The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) was founded in October 1953 as a way for Ministries of Transport delegates to discuss and make decisions regarding regulations that are politically non-binding. Part of this decision making hinged upon coming to consensus on such contentious matters as supranationalism versus intergovernmentalism; transport professionals versus the non-expert political class; liberalism versus coordination. Formed from the collapse of the 'sectoral approach' to European transport integration, the ECMT created a platform for transport professionals to begin have an influence in efforts to consolidate and unify Europe's various transportation systems. This influence, however, is seen as more implicit than explicit, as the opportunities of transport professionals to offer technical expertise to the ECMT was limited and often overruled by politicians. But as policy makers, ECMT transport professionals included political considerations in their policy making, becoming influential more by their actions than merely by their consultative expertise.

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