On March 2009, the European Commission launched a reflection process involving stakeholders and transport experts on the future of transport policy. Assessment externally commissioned, of the past ten years transport policies and scenarios for the future drawn with the help of Focus
Groups, led to identifying 6 main trends and challenges that will shape the future of transport policy over the coming
decades – aging, migration and internal mobility, environmental challenges, the availability of energy resources, urbanisation and globalisation.
On 17 June 2009, Vice President Tajani in charge of transport policy delivered a communication adopted by the Commission. It recalls that the Commission issued in
2001 a White Paper shaping the agenda for transport policy throughout 2010 (revised in 2006) and that the current
communication is a follow-up aiming at defining a vision for the future of transport and mobility until 2020, taking into
account scenarios that may possibly arise decades beyond this date.
The message is that transport policy needs to focus on the pursuit of an integrated, technology-based and user-friendly
transport system. The main conclusions are :
- European transport policy has helped to provide an efficient mobility system to EU people and businesses.
It now has the task of ensuring that this mobility can be sustained in the future ;
- Environmental sustainability, ageing, migration, fossil fuel scarcity, urbanisation, and globalisation are key
tendencies in our society and will pose challenges to our system of mobility ;
- Accelerating the introduction of innovative technologies and the full integration of the different transport
modes is crucial to meeting those challenges. This in a context in whichtransport users and employees, with their needs and rights, are always kept at the centre of policy making ;
- It is important to advance the external projection of European Transport Policy, as a way to ensure further
integration with the neighbouring countries and the promotion of Europe’s economic and environmental
interests in the global context.
The Communication does not include a detailed programme. The vision and ideas put forward are meant to stimulate further
debate aimed at identifying possible policy options. Next year this work is expected to give rise to a formulation of concrete policy proposals and to the subsequent adoption
of a White Paper.
The consultation of stakeholders is extended
to 30 September 2009.
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