1 Transport policy
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10954/06
+ ADD1
COM(06) 314
| Commission Communication: Keep Europe moving — sustainable mobility for our continent: Mid-term review of the Commission's 2001 Transport White Paper
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 22 June 2006
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| Deposited in Parliament | 4 July 2006
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| Department | Transport |
| Basis of consideration | EM of 13 July 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council | 12 October 2006
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | For debate in European Standing Committee
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Background
1.1 The Commission's 2001 White Paper "European Transport
Policy for 2010: Time to decide" proposed a comprehensive
strategy aimed primarily at shifting the balance of transport
in Europe from road and aviation towards rail, shipping and intermodal
operations by 2010. It discussed, in particular, the increasing
problems of congestion on road and rail routes, in towns and at
airports and the harmful effects of transport on the environment
and public health and the heavy toll of road accidents. The White
Paper itself had no legislative or executive force but in it the
Commission proposed an integrated package of some 60 measures.
The White Paper also outlined what the Commission thought national
and local governments should be doing themselves in the transport
field and in other areas such as urban and land-use planning and
budget and fiscal policy.
1.2 The previous Committee considered the White Paper
in January 2002 and it was debated in European Standing Committee
A in March 2002.[1]
The document
1.3 This document reviews developments since the
2001 White Paper, discusses the present transport situation and
sets out the Commission's broad strategy on transport and details
key actions over the coming years — like the White Paper
it has no legislative or executive force. Unlike the fairly focused
nature of the White Paper the document adopts a broad-brush approach,
outlining the key themes in general terms.
1.4 In the opening two sections of the document the
Commission sets out its present view of the objectives for transport
policy:
- mobility for people and businesses;
and
- protection of the environment, passengers and
citizens, ensuring energy security and promoting minimum labour
standards.
In support of these aims are two further objectives:
- innovation so as to increase
the efficiency and sustainability of the sector; and
- acting in international for a so as to promote
the Community's transport policies.
1.5 The Commission suggests that these objectives
are relevant to the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs and the
renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS).[2]
It discusses the objectives in the context both of the changing
environment for the sector — enlargement, consolidation
of businesses and globalisation, innovation, environmental commitments,
energy consumption, international terrorism and development of
the internal market — and of the implementation of policies
set out in the White Paper, including legislation on:
- opening-up of rail freight
transport to competition;
- upgrading social conditions in the road transport
sector;
- definition of 30 Trans-European Network priority
projects;
- creation of the European Single Sky;
- strengthening of aviation passenger rights;
- the new road charging Directive;
- promotion of intermodal transport; and
- reinforcement of the legal framework in maritime
safety.
1.6 In the remaining sections of the document the
Commission discusses a number of key topics:
- sustainable mobility in the
internal market so as to facilitate business. It suggests that
the market is quite well developed for road and developing for
rail so that efforts should be focused on implementation of existing
law and removal of technical barriers to mobility. Similarly the
review argues that the internal market in air transport is a reality
and should now be extended to areas such as airports and air navigation
services — together with measures to mitigate environmental
effects of aviation. But it suggests a need to create a "common
maritime space" and a common ports policy;
- sustainable mobility for the citizen, that is
reliable, safe and secure transport. This section looks at a range
of issues including labour conditions, service quality, safety,
security and urban transport;
- transport and energy, highlighting the impact
of transport on oil dependency and on emissions. The section emphasises
technological solutions for these problems, including alternative
fuels and intelligent vehicle energy management systems;
- optimising infrastructure — reducing congestion
and improving accessibility, highlighting the need for infrastructure
investment, especially at bottlenecks, and the mobilisation of
all funding sources for this purpose. The section looks at designing
infrastructure to enable "co-modality", that is optimising
use of each transport mode and combining modes where appropriate,
and at the use of smart charging to reduce congestion and protect
the environment;
- intelligent mobility, in relation to routing,
timing and choice of modality, through integrated logistics chains
deploying co-modality to ensure that freight is delivered speedily
and intelligent transport systems, for instance for communications,
which could soon be installed in cars, trains and ships as well
as in aircraft. In this section attention is drawn to current
projects such as Galileo (the global satellite navigation system),
SESAR (the air traffic management system for the European Single
Sky) and ERTMS (the traffic management system for European railways);
and
- the global dimension, noting the potential benefits
of international co-operation and asserting the Community could
become a more effective global player than individual Member States.
1.7 The document annexes an impact assessment which
looks at the results of the research, consultations and arguments
considered in developing the review. This includes four studies
analysing the implementation of the 2001 White Paper policy, a
consultation with Member States, a stakeholder conference and
a large internet consultation. The assessment discusses three
possible approaches. A "current" option would continue
with existing measures. A "deepening" option would focus
on fully achieving the quantitative targets, for instance in relation
to modal shift, of the White Paper with further development and
strengthening of existing measures such as road charging. A "widening"
option would broaden the range of measures to be utilised. The
assessment favours adoption of the "current" and "widening"
options and implicitly rejects the "deepening" option.
The Government's view
1.8 The Minister of State, Department for Transport
(Dr Stephen Ladyman) comments that the Commission's review marks
a significant move away from the 2001 White Paper, with its focus
on modal shift from road and aviation towards rail, shipping and
inter-modal operations to a new emphasis on improving mobility
by whatever means are available. He tells us that it is not possible
to comment on the implications of all of the suggestions made
by the Commission — in some cases there is insufficient
information in the document to make a sensible judgement and it
will be necessary to seek further information or await the publication
of formal proposals. And many of the proposed measures are simply
a continuation of existing ones. So the Minister confines himself
to what the Government perceives to be the key issues and, in
particular, changes of direction.
1.9 First, the Minister mentions rail liberalisation
noting that the Commission says nothing further on this. He says
that the Government is in favour of taking the final step and
liberalising domestic passenger services and will push for this
to happen. But the Minister continues that the fact that this
is not mentioned in the document suggests that the Commission
may not be receptive, although it is likely that it will be pushed
by the European Parliament.
1.10 Secondly, in relation to charging for the use
of infrastructure the Minister says that the Commission:
- has long argued that failure
of transport infrastructure users always to pay the costs they
generate impairs the functioning of the single market and distorts
competition within the transport system;
- continues to argue in favour of some degree of
excise tax harmonisation and diversion of infrastructure charging
funds to public transport; and
- now further proposes to develop a methodology
for infrastructure charging.
He says the Government will consider carefully any
methodology which might emerge.
1.11 Thirdly the Minister, noting that the document
proposes a seamless internal shipping market, says that, given
that the internal shipping market is open to international competition
between Member States and for Community shipping within Member
States, it is not clear what is being proposed or what this is
intended to address. Similarly, the review identifies the common
maritime area concept, outlined in the recent maritime Green Paper[3]
as a major underpinning of maritime policy, but this is a very
new and untested idea. The Minister says the Government will seek
to probe these concepts with a view to establishing a position.
1.12 Finally, in relation to the matter of the Community
as a global player and the Commission's strong emphasis of potential
benefits of the Member States acting together on the international
stage, the Minister tells us the Government has strong reservations
about suggestions that the Community could supersede Member States
in this role, for example by moving from enhanced observer status
to full member status in various organisations.
Conclusion
1.13 This document touches on a very wide range
of transport policy and related matters and marks a convenient
point to examine developments in the Community's transport policy
generally. To that end we recommend the document for debate in
European Standing Committee (which does not need to take place
before Council discussion of the document). Such a debate, as
well as looking at the issues of further rail liberalisation,
charging for infrastructure use, the internal shipping market,
a common maritime area and the role of the Community in international
organisations concerned with transport matters, could canvass
with the Minister progress on any of the transport policy measures
in the document and, more generally, the Commission's ambitions
for the common transport policy.
1 (22660) 11932/01 (22776) 12597/01: See HC 152-xv
(2001-02), para 2 (30 January 2002) and Stg Co Deb, European
Standing Committee A, 13 March 2002, cols. 3-28. Back
2
The EU SDS, contained in Council document 10117/06, was adopted
by the European Council of 15/16 June 2006. Because of the way
it originated and was processed it was not subjected to national
parliamentary scrutiny. Back
3
Council document 11510/06 on which we are expecting an Explanatory
Memorandum in due course. Back
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