The European Parliament adopted by 554 votes to 34, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the sustainable future for transport, in response to the Commission communication entitled: “A sustainable future for transport: towards an integrated, technology-led and user-friendly system”.

The resolution underlines that the transport sector is an important element in the development of the European Union and its regions and cities, and one which has a direct influence on the competitiveness and social cohesion of the regions and cities and thereby makes a significant contribution to achieving the European single market.

The financial and economic crisis has hit the transport sector hard, a situation which should, however, be taken as an opportunity to support and promote the transport industry in a forward-looking way, especially through promoting the sustainability of transport modes and investments in, among other things, rail and waterway transport. This will ensure a more level playing field in the market. Members consider it vital for measurable targets to be set for the transport sector, as a way of both monitoring the efficiency of transport policy more effectively and establishing social and economic planning guidelines.

Transport has a triple role: an economic role, a social role and a territorial cohesion role, all of which are essential for European integration. The sector plays a key role in the economy and employment, given that it represents 10% of the EU's prosperity (viewed in terms of gross domestic product) and provides over 10 million jobs and will therefore have a crucial role in the implementation of the EU 2020 strategy .

Social, economic and environmental challenges : Parliament is convinced that EU policy, in general, needs a clear and coherent vision of the future of transport as a sector at the core of the single market, guaranteeing free movement of persons and goods and ensuring territorial cohesion throughout Europe. It takes the view that the transport sector must guarantee economic efficiency and develop within consistently high social and environmental standards .

Members are convinced that demographic change, in particular in urban areas, will give rise to safety and capacity challenges for transport and mobility, and that the basic right to mobility, as well as the applicability of this right, is crucial in this regard. They stress that, in this context, well-integrated multimodal transport chains including walking and cycling and public transport are the way ahead for urban areas. They ask the Commission to introduce Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) for cities of more than 100 000 inhabitants.

The resolution stresses that decarbonising transport is one of the main challenges of future EU transport policy and that all available, sustainable means should be used in order to achieve this, such as an energy mix promoting the research and development of more environmentally friendly technologies and modes, price formation measures and the internalisation of the external costs of all modes of transport, provided that the revenue generated at EU level is used to improve the sustainability of mobility.

Safety : emphasising that safety must continue to be one of the priority objectives of the future transport policy, Members consider it to be of the utmost importance to reduce the health effects of transport and to ensure the rights of passengers in all transport modes, particularly those with reduced mobility, by means of clear and transparent regulations.

They call on the Commission to present a study detailing the best practices of the Member States concerning the impact of speed limiters for all types of vehicles and roads, with a view to presenting legislative measures aimed at reducing emissions and improving road safety.

The resolution also underlines the necessity of guaranteeing both personal safety and legal certainty for workers in the transport sector by, among other things, creating a sufficient number of safe and secure parking places and harmonising the enforcement of road transport rules and the sanctions for which they provide.

Efficient comodality : Members consider that European transport policy should have as its main goal efficient comodality, which is closely linked to the decarbonisation, safety and economic aspects of transport. They stress that efficient comodality should be measured not only in terms of cost-effectiveness but also according to criteria of environmental protection, social and employment conditions, and safety and territorial cohesion

Completion of the single market : Parliament considers that transport plays an essential role in completing the European single market and freedom of movement for persons and goods, and that regulated market opening should be achieved, primarily in the rail transport sector, in all EU Member States. It calls on the Commission and on Member State authorities to facilitate the completion of the liberalisation of cabotage transport, to reduce the prevalence of empty mileage and to provide for a more sustainable road and rail network in the form of more freight transport hubs.

Members believe it essential, in order to achieve an efficient maritime transport system that complements other modes, to focus once again on a clear liberalisation process enabling it to be truly competitive.

The resolution underlines the importance of genuinely European management of transport infrastructure with a view to eliminating the ‘border effect’ in all transport modes and enhancing the EU’s competitiveness and appeal. It calls for the establishment of a common European reservation system.

Parliament underlines that 75% of transport is road-based, and asks for consideration to be given to the need for an agency for road transport, in particular to improve road safety and also to guarantee people's fundamental right to safe mobility by supporting new applications (such as Galileo or equally suitable technologies for intelligent transport systems) and conducting research programmes. Members call for regular reviews of European legislation and its transposition and implementation, with a view to guaranteeing the effectiveness thereof.

European agencies : Parliament is aware of the view that technical interoperability and its financing, European certification, standardisation and mutual recognition are essential elements of an effectively functioning single market, and that their enforcement should figure more prominently among the tasks of the various agencies. It underlines that all the agencies should strive for, and swiftly attain, a similarly high level of responsibility and competence and should be evaluated regularly.

Research and technology : Parliament calls for a research and technology agenda for the transport sector. It considers that priority should be given to projects to decarbonise transport, increase the transparency of the supply chain and transport safety and security, improve traffic management and reduce administrative burdens.

The resolution underlines that, within the framework of climate protection and EU energy independence, each transport mode should reduce its CO2 emissions and be supported by research and development in innovative, energy-efficient and clean technologies and renewable energies.

Transport fund and a European transport network : the resolution calls for the current resources for transport and mobility to be increased and considers the following to be necessary:

the creation of a facility to coordinate the use of different sources of transport funding, funds available under cohesion policy, PPPs or other financial instruments such as guarantees; a budget commitment for transport policy under the multiannual financial framework; the possibility that, in the framework of the Stability and Growth Pact, the long-term nature of investments in transport infrastructure, which improves the competitiveness of the economy, is taken into account when calculating the public deficit; the use of the fund to require, among other things, cofinancing from revenue generated by the internalisation of external costs.

Measurable targets for 2020 : Parliament calls for compliance with clearer, more measurable targets to be achieved in 2020 with reference to 2010, and therefore proposes the following:

a 40% reduction in the number of deaths of and serious injuries to active and passive road transport users, a 40% increase in the provision of parking areas for heavy goods vehicles in the trans-European road network (TERN) in each Member State; a doubling of the number of bus, tram and rail passengers (and, if relevant, ship passengers) and a 20% increase in funding for pedestrian- and cycle-friendly transport concepts; a 20% reduction in CO2 exhaust emissions from road passenger and freight traffic; a 20% reduction in the energy used by rail vehicles compared with the 2010 level and capacity and a 40% reduction in diesel use in the rail sector; fitting an ERTMS-compatible and interoperable automatic train speed control system to all new railway rolling stock commissioned from 2011 onwards, and to all new and rehabilitated link lines starting in 2011; a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions from air transport throughout EU airspace by 2020; financial support for the optimisation, development and, where necessary, creation of multimodal connections (platforms) for inland waterway transport, inland ports and rail transport and a 20% increase in the number of such platforms by 2020; at least 10% of TEN-T funding to be dedicated to inland waterway projects.

Lastly, the Commission is called upon to monitor progress towards reaching these targets and to report annually to Parliament thereon.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted an own-initiative report drafted by Mathieu GROSCH (EPP, BE) in response to the Commission communication entitled “A sustainable future for transport: towards an integrated, technology-led and user-friendly system”.

Social, economic and environmental challenges: the committee is convinced that EU policy, in general, needs a clear and coherent vision of the future of transport as a sector at the core of the single market, guaranteeing free movement of persons and goods and ensuring territorial cohesion throughout Europe. It takes the view that the transport sector must guarantee economic efficiency and develop within consistently high social and environmental standards.

Members are convinced that demographic change, in particular in urban areas, will give rise to safety and capacity challenges for transport and mobility, and that the basic right to mobility, as well as the applicability of this right, is crucial in this regard. They stress that, in this context, well-integrated multimodal transport chains including walking and cycling and public transport are the way ahead for urban areas. They ask the Commission to introduce Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) for cities of more than 100 000 inhabitants.

and, with due respect for the principle of subsidiarity, encourage cities to draw up mobility plans which propose an integrated transport concept with the objective of reducing environmental damage and making mobility healthier and more efficient;

The report stresses that decarbonising transport is one of the main challenges of future EU transport policy and that all available, sustainable means should be used in order to achieve this, such as an energy mix promoting the research and development of more environmentally friendly technologies and modes, price formation measures and the internalisation of the external costs of all modes of transport, provided that the revenue generated at EU level is used to improve the sustainability of mobility.

Safety: emphasising that safety must continue to be one of the priority objectives of the future transport policy, Members consider it to be of the utmost importance to reduce the health effects of transport and to ensure the rights of passengers in all transport modes, particularly those with reduced mobility, by means of clear and transparent regulations.

They call on the Commission to present a study detailing the best practices of the Member States concerning the impact of speed limiters for all types of vehicles and roads, with a view to presenting legislative measures aimed at reducing emissions and improving road safety.

The report also underlines the necessity of guaranteeing both personal safety and legal certainty for workers in the transport sector by, among other things, creating a sufficient number of safe and secure parking places and harmonising the enforcement of road transport rules and the sanctions for which they provide.

Efficient comodality: Members consider that European transport policy should have as its main goal efficient comodality, which is closely linked to the decarbonisation, safety and economic aspects of transport. They stress that efficient comodality should be measured not only in terms of cost-effectiveness but also according to criteria of environmental protection, social and employment conditions, and safety and territorial cohesion

Completion of the single market : the committee considers that transport plays an essential role in completing the European single market and freedom of movement for persons and goods, and that regulated market opening should be achieved, primarily in the rail transport sector, in all EU Member States. It calls on the Commission and on Member State authorities to facilitate the completion of the liberalisation of cabotage transport, to reduce the prevalence of empty mileage and to provide for a more sustainable road and rail network in the form of more freight transport hubs.

Members believe it essential, in order to achieve an efficient maritime transport system that complements other modes, to focus once again on a clear liberalisation process enabling it to be truly competitive.

The report underlines the importance of genuinely European management of transport infrastructure with a view to eliminating the ‘border effect’ in all transport modes and enhancing the EU’s competitiveness and appeal. It calls for the establishment of a common European reservation system.

Members call for regular reviews of European legislation and its transposition and implementation, with a view to guaranteeing the effectiveness thereof. They propose that at least one joint meeting be held every year with representatives of the national parliaments responsible for transport, with a view to sharing and cooperating to ensure better, more effective implementation of EU transport legislation.

European agencies: Members are of the view that technical interoperability and its financing, European certification, standardisation and mutual recognition are essential elements of an effectively functioning single market, and that their enforcement should figure more prominently among the tasks of the various agencies. They underline that all the agencies should strive for, and swiftly attain, a similarly high level of responsibility and competence and should be evaluated regularly.

Research and technology: Members call for a research and technology agenda for the transport sector. They consider that priority should be given to projects to decarbonise transport, increase the transparency of the supply chain and transport safety and security, improve traffic management and reduce administrative burdens.

The report underlines that, within the framework of climate protection and EU energy independence, each transport mode should reduce its CO2 emissions and be supported by research and development in innovative, energy-efficient and clean technologies and renewable energies.

Transport fund and a European transport network: the report calls for the current resources for transport and mobility to be increased and considers the following to be necessary:

the creation of a transport fund endowed with resources over and above those already included in the EU budget; a budget commitment for transport policy under the multiannual financial framework; the possibility that, in the framework of the Stability and Growth Pact, the long-term nature of investments in transport infrastructure, which improves the competitiveness of the economy, is taken into account when calculating the public deficit; the use of the fund to require, among other things, cofinancing from revenue generated by the internalisation of external costs.

Measurable targets for 2020: Members call for compliance with clearer, more measurable targets to be achieved in 2020 with reference to 2010, and therefore proposes the following:

a 40% reduction in the number of deaths of and serious injuries to active and passive road transport users, a 40% increase in the provision of parking areas for heavy goods vehicles in the trans-European road network (TERN) in each Member State; a doubling of the number of bus, tram and rail passengers (and, if relevant, ship passengers) and a 20% increase in funding for pedestrian- and cycle-friendly transport concepts; a 20% reduction in CO2 exhaust emissions from road passenger and freight traffic; a 20% reduction in the energy used by rail vehicles compared with the 2010 level and capacity and a 40% reduction in diesel use in the rail sector; fitting an ERTMS-compatible and interoperable automatic train speed control system to all new railway rolling stock commissioned from 2011 onwards, and to all new and rehabilitated link lines starting in 2011; a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions from air transport throughout EU airspace by 2020; financial support for the optimisation, development and, where necessary, creation of multimodal connections (platforms) for inland waterway transport, inland ports and rail transport and a 20% increase in the number of such platforms by 2020; at least 10% of TEN-T funding to be dedicated to inland waterway projects.

The Council held a debate and adopted conclusions on clean and energy efficient vehicles for a competitive automotive industry and decarbonised road transport.

The main elements of the conclusions may be summarised as follows:

- the Council recalls that the objective of the European Union to raise the share of renewable energies in its gross final energy consumption to 20% and to 10% in transport by 2020. It also recalls that the Competitiveness Council in its Conclusions on the “Need for a new industrial policy” of 2 March 2010 invited the Commission to come forward with an action plan for clean and energy-efficient vehicles (including the growing role of fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids. In particular, it welcomes the Commission's Communication entitled "A European strategy on clean and energy efficient vehicles” of 28 April 2010, which builds on the on-going measures and sets out an ambitious medium- to long-term policy through an Action Plan, which will strengthen Europe's leadership in clean automotive technologies;

- the Council emphasises, in the light of scientific and market evidence, that electric vehicles (including full electric and plug-in hybrids) will soon be ready for market introduction by some manufacturers and are meeting increasing consumer acceptance, as the safety, standardisation, electricity consumption, environmental aspects and affordability are optimized. It also notes the need to make further progress on improving the environmental performance and the fuel efficiency of these vehicles, including increased use of second generation bio-fuels and gaseous fuels;

- the Council considers that in order to speed up the market uptake of clean and energy efficient vehicles, a supportive policy framework could contribute to creating business confidence. It emphasises that the European Union should take leadership in supporting the roll-out and consumer acceptance of alternative power-trains and energy efficient vehicles while bearing in mind actions taken by the Member States, regions and municipalities – in line with the principle of subsidiarity.

With regard to the action plan presented in the Communication, the Council highlights the need to:

focus on research excellence in order to ensure that alternative power-trains receive targeted research financing, including innovative energy storage and conversion technologies, such as batteries, fuel cells and the necessary respective infrastructure; support breakthrough improvements in internal combustion engines, further step-change improvements to the performance of conventional vehicles and exploring the opportunities offered by mild hybridisation of conventional vehicles, aerodynamics improvement and weight reduction; simplify and streamline the administrative rules for obtaining EU research grants; promote the successful implementation of the Green Car Initiative via EIB financing and European research grants that helped the industry to maintain their R&D activities during the crisis in order to be well positioned for the economic recovery.

The Commission is called upon to consult Member States and stakeholders and to rapidly come up with guidelines on potential financial incentives for consumers to buy green vehicles in order to stimulate the market uptake of clean and energy-efficient vehicles, without giving preference to any particular technology. The Council calls on local, regional and national authorities and all relevant stakeholders to take all necessary measures so that a skilled and qualified workforce is available for alternative power-train and energy-efficient technologies.

In parallel, the Council urges European standardisation bodies, via the standardisation process, to develop, as a matter of priority by mid-2011, a harmonised solution for the interoperability between electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure and to address safety risks and electromagnetic compatibility. The European standardisation bodies should take into account existing technical solutions and ongoing work at international standardisation bodies, international promotion of EU standards should continue. The Council welcomes the intention of the Commission to launch an EU-wide electromobility demonstration project in 2011, which could integrate national pilot projects across borders.

The Council calls on the Commission to come forward with proposals for the implementation of actions set out in the Communication and therefore:

stresses the need for the Commission to engage in a thorough consultation process in order to propose legislative acts (accompanied by impact assessments) and guidelines; calls for the prompt re-launch of the CARS 21 process, with a revised mandate and extended stakeholder involvement; calls on it to draw lessons from national strategies and regional pilot projects launched by European cities and regions and to incorporate, where appropriate, these in its work on guidelines for financial incentives and infrastructures; calls on the Commission to report annually on the implementation of the strategy to the Council, notwithstanding the mandatory review to be performed in 2014; confirms that the Council is ready to assume responsibility for the timely and efficient implementation of the legislative measures required.

The Presidency submitted to ministers draft conclusions on a Commission communication on the sustainable future for transport. The discussion showed that while there was very broad agreement on the text, not all Member States were able to support all of its elements. The Presidency therefore drew the conclusions under its own responsibility. The main points are as follows;

The Council states the following:

it welcomes the Commission Communication and the latter’s decision to start the preparatory process to update and renew the European transport policy for the next decade 2010-2020; it acknowledges that the current economic situation offers lessons to be learnt and recognises the need to prepare the transport sector to face future challenges, as well as the need to better exploit all modes of transport. It also recognises the need to take positive measures to encourage a shift to the use of those that are more energy efficient and environment friendly, as well as a more efficient use of all modes of transport and seamless inter-modality, i.e. co-modality and its promotion, considering that these are key elements of a sustainable, eco-efficient, accessible and integrated transport system; the Commission should promote one fully integrated multimodal transport system, particularly through the revision of the TEN-T policy, the Marco Polo programme and the Naiades Action Programme, and other Community policies, which have a positive impact on the transport system, while taking into account the need to mitigate the present regional differences within the EU, the needs of the Member States at the periphery of the EU, as well as the major transnational traffic flows; the TEN-T policy should pay due attention to the timely completion of priority projects and their effective integration in the comprehensive network, nodes (ports, airports) and inter-modal connections (such as connections between rail, road, inland waterways, ports and airports), multimodal green corridors, missing infrastructure links, cross-border sections, the elimination of bottlenecks, interconnections with neighbouring countries and regions and building on the extension of existing corridors; proper funding mechanisms, coming from Community and other sources, should be considered important in order to ensure an effective implementation of transport infrastructure projects. The Council supports the general principle of internalisation and implementation of external costs in all modes of transport, taking into account, inter alia, the need to ensure a level playing field between different modes; the Council acknowledges the need to break the transport sector's fossil fuel dependence and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases inter alia through the introduction of innovative and energy efficient technologies for traffic management tools. It supports a comprehensive approach which includes a variety of measures such as alternative drive concepts, alternative fuels, electric mobility and its relevant infrastructure, and a transition to renewable energy sources; it encourages the continued development of a fair and balanced regulatory environment aimed at the completion of an internal transport market, properly regulated and without restrictions, that will allow the EU's businesses to prosper and the EU's citizens to move seamlessly throughout Europe, exploiting the potential of competitive transport services across all modes; there is a need to promote changes in individual behaviour, inter alia, through awareness campaigns, in order to meet environmental challenges and improve safety in all modes of transport. The Council invites the Commission to present the Fourth Action Programme on road safety (2011-2020) and, in this context, acknowledges the need to enhance coordination between European Agencies and national competent authorities; the safety and security of transport users and workers should remain a priority and the rights and needs of transport users should be assessed and taken into account; the promotion of quality employment and training in the transport sector needs to be enhanced:

The Council calls on the Commission to ensure proper implementation of the Community acquis and existing projects and to adopt where necessary additional measures. It stresses the importance of developing more flexible legislative and non-legislative instruments, respecting the principles of subsidiarity, transparency and better regulation, whilst aiming at reducing administrative burdens.

Lastly, the Council looks forward to the Commission's reports on the outcome of the consultation process and invites the Commission to take note of Member States' further reflection and to inform the Council about the developments in the preparation process for the forthcoming White Paper which is expected by the end of 2010 / beginning of 2011.

PURPOSE: to launch a debate on the sustainable future of transport (towards an integrated, technology-led and user friendly system).

BACKGROUND: transport is an essential component of the European economy. The transport industry at large accounts for about 7% of GDP and for over 5% of total employment in the EU. The European Transport Policy has contributed significantly to the Lisbon Agenda for Growth and Jobs. More limited, however, have been the results with respect to the goals of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy: as indicated in the progress report of 2007 ( COM(2007)0642 ), the European transport system is still not on a sustainable path on several aspects .

In 2001, the Commission issued a White Paper setting an agenda for the European transport policy throughout 2010. This programme was updated in the mid-term review of 2006 . Approaching the end of the ten-year period, it is time to look further ahead and prepare the ground for later policy developments.

To this end, the Commission launched a reflection exercise, comprising an evaluation study on the European Transport Policy; a debate within three ‘Focus Groups’; a study – ‘Transvisions’ – identifying possible low-carbon scenarios for transport; and a consultation of stakeholders, notably through a High Level Stakeholders’ Conference on 9-10 March 2009.

The present Communication summarises the results of this wide reflection. It refers to recent developments of the ETP and outstanding issues. It also looks at the future, identifying trends in transport drivers and the likely challenges they could pose to society. It proposes some intermediate policy objectives, which could be pursued to address the emerging challenges in the transport sector. It describes some available instruments and possible lines of intervention for achieving the stated objectives.

The ideas put forward in this Communication are meant to stimulate further debate aimed at identifying policy options, without prejudging the formulation of concrete proposals in the next White Paper of 2010 .

CONTENT: this Paper states that it is difficult to anticipate which factors will have the greatest influence in shaping the future of transport, but it identifies 6 main trends that will certainly pose challenges to our mobility system: (i) ageing; (ii) migration; (iii) environmental sustainability; (iv) fossil fuel scarcity; (v) urbanisation and (vi) globalisation.

The goal of the European Transport Policy is to establish a sustainable transport system that meets society’s economic, social and environmental needs and is conducive to an inclusive society and a fully integrated and competitive Europe. The ongoing trends and future challenges highlighted above point to the need for satisfying a rising demand for ‘accessibility’ in a context of growing sustainability concerns. The most immediate priorities appear to be the better integration of the different modes of transport as a way to improve the overall efficiency of the system and the acceleration of the development and deployment of innovative technologies .

The communication transforms the above priorities into more operational goals, proposing seven broad policy objectives for consideration:

quality transport that is safe and secure : an improvement of the overall quality of transport, including personal security, the reduction of accidents and of health hazards, the protection of passengers’ rights and the accessibility of remote regions, must remain a high priority of transport policy. Road safety will remain an issue of concern. It is also necessary to: (i) improve safety and security conditions, attention should be given to the issue of privacy and data protection that can arise in relation to the means employed for surveillance, registration and control purposes; (ii) supply people with reduced mobility with comfortable transport solutions; (iii) ensure a safer and more secure urban environment. a well maintained and fully integrated network : a better exploitation of the network’s capacity and of the relative strengths of each mode could contribute significantly to reducing congestion, emissions, pollution and accidents. With regard to passenger transport, the integration of aviation with high-speed rail will be a crucial development. Concerning freight transport, an intelligent and integrated logistic system must become a reality, where development of ports and intermodal terminals is key element. The above-described urbanisation trend will make ‘modal shift’ towards more environmentally friendly modes particularly important in the context of urban transport. Infrastructure should be well maintained and improvement works coordinated. New infrastructure should be planned and prioritised with a view to maximising socio-economic benefits taking into account externalities and effects on the total network. more environmentally sustainable transport : l owering consumption of non-renewable resources is essential for all aspects of transport systems and their use. For some aspects, in view of the long time required to effect change, long term strategies are required to provide assurance for different actors in the market. In devising the future of the transport system, all elements of sustainability should be taken into account. This concerns the operation of transport means (emissions, noise) as well as the provision of infrastructure (land occupancy, bio-diversity); keeping the EU at the forefront of transport services and technologies : “soft infrastructures”, like intelligent transport systems for road (ITS) and traffic management systems for rail ( ERTMS ) and aviation (Single European Sky’s SESAR ), backed by Galileo, can optimise the use of the network and improve safety. Innovative vehicle technology can lower emissions, reduce oil dependency and increase comfort. Lastly, the development of technological solutions for sustainable transport is also important to promote growth and safeguard jobs; protecting and developing the human capital : transport workers in some sectors may be displaced from their jobs as a result of the adjustment to a radically different economic and energy context. It is important to ensure that such change is well anticipated and managed, so that changing conditions will also be a source of new jobs and that transport workers can participate in, and respond to, the process. This can be done through a range of instruments, including information and consultation of workers, social dialogue, early identification of skills shortages, training, and ensuring that any restructuring is carried out in a socially responsible way. It must also be ensured that working conditions are maintained or improved. Differences in rights and social conditions between Member States should not result in a race to the bottom and become a factor of competitiveness. smart prices as traffic signals : in transport, like in any other sector, there cannot be economic efficiency unless the prices reflect all costs – internal and external – actually caused by the users. The transport system would particularly benefit from better price signals. The next decade is likely to be one of transition for the transport system. New practices and new technologies will emerge; long-term investments, for example in infrastructure, will be made. Europe will have to live with these choices for a long time: it is therefore essential that they are guided by correct price signals. planning with an eye to transport: improving accessibility : many public services have been progressively centralised with a view to increasing efficiency. The distances between the citizens and the service providers (schools, hospitals, shopping malls) have been on the increase. Firms have followed the same trend by keeping a smaller number of production, storage and distribution centres. The trend towards the concentration of activities has produced a large amount of ‘forced’ mobility, owing to a worsening of accessibility conditions. When taking land-use planning or location decisions, public authorities and companies should take into account the consequences of their choices in terms of travel needs of clients and employees in addition to the transport of goods. Sound planning should also facilitate the seamless integration of the different transport modes. Transportation needs can also be reduced by increasing ‘virtual’ accessibility through information technology (teleworking, e-Government, e-Health, etc.).

The Commission puts forward some suggestions on how the available policy instruments could be activated to reach those goals and respond to the sustainability challenge:

the optimal functioning of the transport system requires full integration and interoperability of the individual parts of the network, as well as interconnection between different (modal) networks. Well focused infrastructure expansion will help avoiding congestion and time losses. In this respect, infrastructure needs to be carefully planned and prioritised with a view to optimising transport chains and the overall transport network; find the resources for sustainable transport : the transition towards a low carbon economy will impose a substantial overhaul of the transport system which will require considerable and well coordinated funding, but the necessary resources will be difficult to find; accelerate the transition to a low-carbon society and lead global innovation : (i) adopt technologies to build lower and zero-emission vehicles and for the development of alternative solutions for sustainable transport; (ii) set open standards, ensuring interoperability, increasing R&D expenditures for technologies that are not yet mature for market application; (iii) define a clear legal and regulatory framework – e.g. for liability and privacy issues – and promoting best practice examples; (iv) foster R&D expenditures towards sustainable mobility, for example through the European Green Cars Initiative and Joint Technology Initiatives; improve the legislative framework : (i) further promote market opening and fostering competition; (ii) include administrative simplification aiming at reducing unnecessary burdens on transport companies; (iii) evolve the regulatory framework towards harmonised environmental obligations, effective supervision, uniform protection of workers conditions and users’ rights; educate, inform and involve citizens : greater public involvement in transport planning can be ensured by recourse to participatory instruments, namely open consultations, surveys and stakeholders’ representation in decision processes; improve governance through effective and coordinated action, notably in two areas: (i) interoperability standards; (ii) the urban challenge. promote the external dimension : the European transport policy needs therefore to think and act internationally to ensure further integration with its neighbouring countries and advance Europe’s economic and environmental interests in the global context.

The Commission encourages all interested party to contribute to the consultation exercise launched by the present Communication by 30 September 2009 .

PURPOSE: to launch a debate on the sustainable future of transport (towards an integrated, technology-led and user friendly system).

BACKGROUND: transport is an essential component of the European economy. The transport industry at large accounts for about 7% of GDP and for over 5% of total employment in the EU. The European Transport Policy has contributed significantly to the Lisbon Agenda for Growth and Jobs. More limited, however, have been the results with respect to the goals of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy: as indicated in the progress report of 2007 ( COM(2007)0642 ), the European transport system is still not on a sustainable path on several aspects .

In 2001, the Commission issued a White Paper setting an agenda for the European transport policy throughout 2010. This programme was updated in the mid-term review of 2006 . Approaching the end of the ten-year period, it is time to look further ahead and prepare the ground for later policy developments.

To this end, the Commission launched a reflection exercise, comprising an evaluation study on the European Transport Policy; a debate within three ‘Focus Groups’; a study – ‘Transvisions’ – identifying possible low-carbon scenarios for transport; and a consultation of stakeholders, notably through a High Level Stakeholders’ Conference on 9-10 March 2009.

The present Communication summarises the results of this wide reflection. It refers to recent developments of the ETP and outstanding issues. It also looks at the future, identifying trends in transport drivers and the likely challenges they could pose to society. It proposes some intermediate policy objectives, which could be pursued to address the emerging challenges in the transport sector. It describes some available instruments and possible lines of intervention for achieving the stated objectives.

The ideas put forward in this Communication are meant to stimulate further debate aimed at identifying policy options, without prejudging the formulation of concrete proposals in the next White Paper of 2010 .

CONTENT: this Paper states that it is difficult to anticipate which factors will have the greatest influence in shaping the future of transport, but it identifies 6 main trends that will certainly pose challenges to our mobility system: (i) ageing; (ii) migration; (iii) environmental sustainability; (iv) fossil fuel scarcity; (v) urbanisation and (vi) globalisation.

The goal of the European Transport Policy is to establish a sustainable transport system that meets society’s economic, social and environmental needs and is conducive to an inclusive society and a fully integrated and competitive Europe. The ongoing trends and future challenges highlighted above point to the need for satisfying a rising demand for ‘accessibility’ in a context of growing sustainability concerns. The most immediate priorities appear to be the better integration of the different modes of transport as a way to improve the overall efficiency of the system and the acceleration of the development and deployment of innovative technologies .

The communication transforms the above priorities into more operational goals, proposing seven broad policy objectives for consideration:

quality transport that is safe and secure : an improvement of the overall quality of transport, including personal security, the reduction of accidents and of health hazards, the protection of passengers’ rights and the accessibility of remote regions, must remain a high priority of transport policy. Road safety will remain an issue of concern. It is also necessary to: (i) improve safety and security conditions, attention should be given to the issue of privacy and data protection that can arise in relation to the means employed for surveillance, registration and control purposes; (ii) supply people with reduced mobility with comfortable transport solutions; (iii) ensure a safer and more secure urban environment. a well maintained and fully integrated network : a better exploitation of the network’s capacity and of the relative strengths of each mode could contribute significantly to reducing congestion, emissions, pollution and accidents. With regard to passenger transport, the integration of aviation with high-speed rail will be a crucial development. Concerning freight transport, an intelligent and integrated logistic system must become a reality, where development of ports and intermodal terminals is key element. The above-described urbanisation trend will make ‘modal shift’ towards more environmentally friendly modes particularly important in the context of urban transport. Infrastructure should be well maintained and improvement works coordinated. New infrastructure should be planned and prioritised with a view to maximising socio-economic benefits taking into account externalities and effects on the total network. more environmentally sustainable transport : l owering consumption of non-renewable resources is essential for all aspects of transport systems and their use. For some aspects, in view of the long time required to effect change, long term strategies are required to provide assurance for different actors in the market. In devising the future of the transport system, all elements of sustainability should be taken into account. This concerns the operation of transport means (emissions, noise) as well as the provision of infrastructure (land occupancy, bio-diversity); keeping the EU at the forefront of transport services and technologies : “soft infrastructures”, like intelligent transport systems for road (ITS) and traffic management systems for rail ( ERTMS ) and aviation (Single European Sky’s SESAR ), backed by Galileo, can optimise the use of the network and improve safety. Innovative vehicle technology can lower emissions, reduce oil dependency and increase comfort. Lastly, the development of technological solutions for sustainable transport is also important to promote growth and safeguard jobs; protecting and developing the human capital : transport workers in some sectors may be displaced from their jobs as a result of the adjustment to a radically different economic and energy context. It is important to ensure that such change is well anticipated and managed, so that changing conditions will also be a source of new jobs and that transport workers can participate in, and respond to, the process. This can be done through a range of instruments, including information and consultation of workers, social dialogue, early identification of skills shortages, training, and ensuring that any restructuring is carried out in a socially responsible way. It must also be ensured that working conditions are maintained or improved. Differences in rights and social conditions between Member States should not result in a race to the bottom and become a factor of competitiveness. smart prices as traffic signals : in transport, like in any other sector, there cannot be economic efficiency unless the prices reflect all costs – internal and external – actually caused by the users. The transport system would particularly benefit from better price signals. The next decade is likely to be one of transition for the transport system. New practices and new technologies will emerge; long-term investments, for example in infrastructure, will be made. Europe will have to live with these choices for a long time: it is therefore essential that they are guided by correct price signals. planning with an eye to transport: improving accessibility : many public services have been progressively centralised with a view to increasing efficiency. The distances between the citizens and the service providers (schools, hospitals, shopping malls) have been on the increase. Firms have followed the same trend by keeping a smaller number of production, storage and distribution centres. The trend towards the concentration of activities has produced a large amount of ‘forced’ mobility, owing to a worsening of accessibility conditions. When taking land-use planning or location decisions, public authorities and companies should take into account the consequences of their choices in terms of travel needs of clients and employees in addition to the transport of goods. Sound planning should also facilitate the seamless integration of the different transport modes. Transportation needs can also be reduced by increasing ‘virtual’ accessibility through information technology (teleworking, e-Government, e-Health, etc.).

The Commission puts forward some suggestions on how the available policy instruments could be activated to reach those goals and respond to the sustainability challenge:

the optimal functioning of the transport system requires full integration and interoperability of the individual parts of the network, as well as interconnection between different (modal) networks. Well focused infrastructure expansion will help avoiding congestion and time losses. In this respect, infrastructure needs to be carefully planned and prioritised with a view to optimising transport chains and the overall transport network; find the resources for sustainable transport : the transition towards a low carbon economy will impose a substantial overhaul of the transport system which will require considerable and well coordinated funding, but the necessary resources will be difficult to find; accelerate the transition to a low-carbon society and lead global innovation : (i) adopt technologies to build lower and zero-emission vehicles and for the development of alternative solutions for sustainable transport; (ii) set open standards, ensuring interoperability, increasing R&D expenditures for technologies that are not yet mature for market application; (iii) define a clear legal and regulatory framework – e.g. for liability and privacy issues – and promoting best practice examples; (iv) foster R&D expenditures towards sustainable mobility, for example through the European Green Cars Initiative and Joint Technology Initiatives; improve the legislative framework : (i) further promote market opening and fostering competition; (ii) include administrative simplification aiming at reducing unnecessary burdens on transport companies; (iii) evolve the regulatory framework towards harmonised environmental obligations, effective supervision, uniform protection of workers conditions and users’ rights; educate, inform and involve citizens : greater public involvement in transport planning can be ensured by recourse to participatory instruments, namely open consultations, surveys and stakeholders’ representation in decision processes; improve governance through effective and coordinated action, notably in two areas: (i) interoperability standards; (ii) the urban challenge. promote the external dimension : the European transport policy needs therefore to think and act internationally to ensure further integration with its neighbouring countries and advance Europe’s economic and environmental interests in the global context.

The Commission encourages all interested party to contribute to the consultation exercise launched by the present Communication by 30 September 2009 .