After years of main focusing on opening-up of the transport market in the EU policies have changed. According to European Commission (2001, p. 10) ‘A modern transport system must be sustainable from an economic and social as well as an environmental viewpoint.’ Several developments in common transport have lead to a rethinking of old approaches to handle transport issues in the EU, according to European Commission (2001), namely:

-          Unequal growth in different modes of transport

-          Congestion on main road and rail routes, in towns, and at airports which lead to a serious risk that Europe will lose economic competitiveness

-          Harmful effects on the environment and public health as well as the large amount of road accidents

Additionally two main factors contribute to a constant growth in demand for transport, in fact major changes in relocation of industries as well as passenger mobility with extensive usage of cars. To face growing demand and occurring problems the EU commission has developed a new transport policy published in the White Paper of 2001. In four parts objectives are described and developed strategies introduced. To establish understanding for the means of the White Paper the four parts and their essential facts are summarised below according to European Commission (2001):

Part one: Shifting the balance between modes of transport

A programme called ‘Marco Polo’ is lunched ‘to support intermodal initiatives and alternatives to road transport in the early stages until they become commercially viable’ (European commission, 2001).

Part two: Eliminating bottlenecks

Major routes shall be unblocked with support of funded infrastructure projects.

Part three: Placing users at the heart of transport policy

Passengers’ safety is an important point as well as promoting of best practice urban transport systems.

Part four: Managing the globalisation of transport

Enlargement of the European Union shall be accompanied by a single voice for international bodies and Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation technology, is regarded as strategically important and likely to generate considerable profits. 

Altogether the White Paper displays starting points for long-term strategies of common transport in the European Union and highlights problems and eventual solutions for establishing a sustainable transport system.

Link

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/white_paper/documents/index_en.htm

References

European Commission (2001) White Paper – European transport policy for 2010: time to decide, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.