Greening of transport: a proper strategy needed

Publication date: 11 March 2009

Source : European Parliament

Parliament adopted a report criticising the Commission for the lack of an overall strategy on "the greening of transport" and the absence of a usable model for assessing "external costs" such as the environmental impact of transport. The resolution was adopted with 452 votes in favour, 108 against and 134 abstentions.
The Commission's "Greening Transport" package, unveiled in July 2008, is intended to contribute to the EU's climate and energy goals.  Consisting of a number of communications, it aims to promote sustainable transport and ensure that the real costs of transport are reflected in their effective price.
 
The Transport Committee's own-initiative report, drafted by Georg Jarzembowski (EPP-ED, DE), points out that the Commission has not – by its own admission – devised and put forward a generally applicable, transparent, and comprehensible model for the assessment of external costs as a whole. It has not analysed the impact on every mode of transport and, in practical terms, has so far put forward legislation only for heavy goods road vehicles. 
 
Parliament therefore urges the Commission to take steps without delay, firstly to produce specific proposals for all modes of transport; secondly to submit a comprehensive plan for calculating and charging external costs and assessing their impact on the basis of a comprehensible model.
 
The report also looks at the problem of people living beside railway lines, who can suffer from the noise of trains braking.  Although MEPs want the Commission to draft a directive to introduce noise-related track access charges, so as to prompt rail companies to upgrade their rolling stock with new brake blocks, they stress that any legislation must not affect the rail sector adversely in intermodal competition.
 
MEPs call on the Commission when putting forward further proposals to green the transport sector, to include assessments of the impact of competition between transport modes and associated social and environmental impacts, as was done with the proposal to revise the Eurovignette Directive, and to include the costs of mobility and competitiveness.
 
REF. : 20090310IPR51412