BAKGRUNN (fra Kommisjonens arbeidsdokument, engelsk utgave)

Transport policy has been at the heart of EU policies since the founding of the then European Economic Community in 1957. Over the last 50 years it has become a key part of the European Union's policies, facilitating economic growth, encouraging mobility and improving quality of life for European citizens. Today EU transport policy faces new challenges posed by transport's very success: climate change, local pollution, noise, congestion and accidents.

The current transport policy – first set out in 2001 (1) and revised in 2006 (2) – aims for sustainable mobility, as did the previous transport white paper. (3) This means allowing greater mobility while reducing its negative impacts. The policy was developed – and will continue to be – in the framework of the EU's Sustainable Development (4) and Lisbon Strategies. Environment, (5) climate change and energy policies all play an important role in reducing these impacts, supported by EU policies on the Single Market, Research and Cohesion.

This inventory shows the large number and diverse measures that are already in place to reduce the negative impacts of transport. Knowing what already exists, what has been proposed, and what the Commission is planning to propose in the near future (6) will provide a solid base on which to move forward. This is essential as current trends in transport growth mean that its negative impacts are likely to worsen over the coming years, jeopardising meeting recent political commitments such as those of the European Council on climate change and energy.

The inventory begins by describing policies affecting several means of transport and then has a section for each main transport mode: air, maritime, inland waterway, rail and road. Each section is divided according to the main negative impacts: climate change; regional and local pollution, noise pollution, congestion and accidents. Where a measure could fit in more than one category, it is placed in the one that concerns its principle objective and a cross-reference is made to this in other sections. Where no measure is mentioned this means that none has been found with significant impacts.

1 White Paper - European transport policy for 2010: time to decide, COM (2001) 370
2 Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament Keep Europe moving - Sustainable mobility for our continent Mid-term review of the European Commission’s 2001 Transport White Paper COM (2006) 314
3 Communication from the Commission: The future development of the common transport policy, a global approach to the construction of a Community framework for sustainable mobility, COM (92) 494
4 Council of the European Union: Review of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) – Renewed Strategy adopted by the European Council on 15/16 June 2006, 10917/06
5 Decision 1600/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 2002 laying down the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme, OJ L 242, 10.9.2002, p. 1
6 The cut off date for inclusion is 31.3.2008.