In doing so it agreed to reshaping Europe's transport policy in favour of environmentally and user-friendly forms of transport and the protection of the Alps. Among the topics agreed upon on the Transport Protocol is a reduction of the negative effects of the risks posed by intra-Alpine and transalpine transport, in particular by transferring the volume of traffic from the roads to the railways. On the European Union's side, ratification by the EU Council of Ministers is now outstanding. To date, five contracting parties - Austria, Germany, France, Liechtenstein and Slovenia - have ratified the Transport Protocol, but not Italy, Monaco and Switzerland. Whether or not the Transport Protocol is ratified by the European Union is questionable. The Protocol is being blocked by Italy, which has so far defaulted as a contracting party. It is up to the Czech EU Council Presidency, among others, to convince Italy of the urgency of ratification so that the Transport Protocol can appear as an agenda item at the next meeting of the Council of Transport Ministers scheduled for 11 - 12 June 2009. Source: CIPRA