22.9.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 316/155

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having regard to the Commission White Paper entitled ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area — Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’ (COM(2011)0144),

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having regard to the public hearing entitled ‘White Paper on Transport: taking stock and the way forward towards sustainable mobility’ held by its Committee on Transport and Tourism on 17 March 2015,

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having regard to the European Economic and Social Committee Opinion of 22 April 2015 entitled ‘Roadmap to a single European transport area — progress and challenges’,

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having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2011 on the Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area — Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system (1),

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having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2010 on a sustainable future for transport (2),

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having regard to its resolution of 12 July 2007 on Keeping Europe moving – Sustainable mobility for our continent (3),

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having regard to its resolution of 12 February 2003 on the Commission White Paper ‘European transport policy for 2010: time to decide’ (4),

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having regard to the Commission White Paper entitled ‘European Transport Policy for 2010: time to decide’ (COM(2001)0370),

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having regard to the upcoming COP21 Climate Conference in December 2015 in Paris,

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having regard to the Energy Union Package and its Communication entitled ‘A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy’ (COM(2015)0080),

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having regard to the European Council conclusions of 23 and 24 October 2014 on the 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework,

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having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘A Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe’ (COM(2015)0192),

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having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Together towards competitive and resource-efficient urban mobility’ (COM(2013)0913),

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having regard to its resolution of 27 September 2011 on European road safety 2011-2020 (5),

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having regard to Rule 52 of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A8-0246/2015),

A.

whereas the White Paper on Transport set an ambitious agenda for the transformation of the European transport system and the creation of a genuine Single European Transport Area;

B.

whereas the transport sector represents a driving force of the EU economy, employing around 10 million people and accounting for about 5 % of GDP, which should remain a frontrunner in generating further economic growth and job creation, and promoting competitiveness, sustainable development and territorial cohesion;

C.

whereas transport is a sector where Europe is a world leader, in both manufacturing and transport operations, and it is crucial that European transport continues to develop, invest and renew itself in a sustainable manner, in order to maintain its technological leadership at global level, continue exporting its standards worldwide and maintain its competitive position in all transport modes within a global economy ever more characterised by the emergence of powerful new players and new business models;

D.

whereas the premises of our society are changing as a result of digitalisation, urbanisation, globalisation and demographic change, and we need a shift in existing transport policy paradigms that can cope with the challenges of the future;

E.

whereas transport is fundamental to the free movement of people, goods and services, on which the single market is based, and free movement is both a powerful driving force for integration within the Union and a key factor in the performance of European industry and commerce;

F.

whereas transport continues to be nearly fully dependent on fossil fuels and is the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions have grown over the last 25 years, and without the recent economic downturn emissions growth could have been even bigger;

G.

whereas there is an urgent need to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of the transport system and reduce its dependence on oil and fossil energy resources in a cost-efficient manner without sacrificing its competitiveness and curbing mobility, in line with the objectives set in the White Paper;

H.

whereas advanced sustainable biofuels, particularly those produced from processing waste and residues in line with the waste management hierarchy (6), represent an untapped potential for reducing the European transport system’s dependence on oil and for curbing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector;

I.

whereas it is essential to ensure the successful development of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) within the agreed time frames, to effectively link the transport networks of all EU regions, connecting the geographically peripheral regions to the centre of the EU, and to eliminate disparities between levels of infrastructure development and maintenance, in particular between the eastern and western parts of the Union;

J.

whereas investment in transport infrastructure has a positive impact on economic growth, job creation and trade, and it is therefore necessary to eliminate barriers which hinder private investment in transport infrastructure;

K.

whereas transport infrastructure generally requires long-term financing, and levels of investment have fallen in recent times owing to a lack of confidence among lawmakers, project developers and the financial sector;

L.

whereas there has for many years been serious under-investment in public transport infrastructure across the EU, and whereas improved facilities for pedestrians, elderly people and passengers with reduced mobility are part of Union's goals and require additional funds;

M.

whereas one of the main objectives of the White Paper should be to make people and their rights as passengers the central objective of transport policy;

N.

whereas innovation and intelligent transport systems should play a major role in the development of a modern, efficient, sustainable and interoperable European transport system that is accessible to all;

O.

whereas multimodal networks and the integration of different transport modes and services are potentially beneficial for improving passenger and freight transport connections and efficiency, thus helping to reduce carbon and other harmful emissions;

P.

whereas the creation of a genuine Single European Transport Area will not be possible without effective implementation of EU legislation by Member States and, where necessary, simplification of the existing regulatory framework to ensure legal clarity and improved enforcement;

Q.

whereas it is necessary to eliminate all the residual barriers, technical incompatibilities and burdensome administrative procedures that impede the achievement of a fully integrated transport system, and to oppose any new measures introduced by Member States which create barriers to the free movement of goods and services;

R.

whereas further market opening needs to go hand in hand with quality jobs and decent working conditions, a high standard of services and fair competition in all the Member States;

S.

whereas the last report from the Commission on Road Safety in the European Union (7) revealed that the number of road fatalities in Europe decreased by 1 % in 2014, a considerably lower figure than the 8 % drop recorded in 2012 and again in 2013;

1.

Welcomes the Commission’s intention to carry out a mid-term review of the White Paper, with the aim of assessing the progress achieved and proposing further actions to reach its objectives; considers that, while it is too early to fully assess the impact of a number of policy measures taken since the adoption of the White Paper, a stocktaking exercise is necessary to obtain an overview of the state of play in the implementation of the 40 initiatives and 131 action points listed in its Annex;

2.

Reiterates its support for the targets set out in the White Paper and the ‘Ten goals for a competitive and resource-efficient transport system: benchmarks for achieving the 60 % GHG emission reduction target’; stresses that the mid-term review should maintain at least the level of ambition of the goals set in 2011 and propose concrete, realistic and evidence-based measures and initiatives to increase, speed up and streamline the efforts to meet them; calls on the Commission to evaluate the extent to which the list of actions set out in the White Paper is sufficient to achieve its overarching goals, and to propose additional legislative measures;

3.

Calls on the Commission to update the emission reduction targets in the White Paper in line with Parliament’s resolution of 5 February 2014 on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies (8) and the European Council conclusions of 23 and 24 October 2014 on the 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework, and to propose measures aimed at further reduction of transport emissions, in order to help Member States reach the overall ‘binding EU target of an at least 40 % domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990’ (‘with the reductions in the ETS and non-ETS sectors amounting to 43 % and 30 % by 2030 compared to 2005, respectively’);

4.

Stresses that the 2030 reduction target for GHG emissions from transport should be set at a level that will allow the achievement of the long-term target of the White Paper of an at least 60 % reduction of GHG emissions from transport by 2050; calls in this context on the Commission to propose a comprehensive strategy for the decarbonisation of transport;

5.

Stresses that a European sustainable mobility policy needs to build on a broad range of policy tools to shift towards the least polluting and most energy-efficient modes of transport in a cost-efficient manner; points out that shifting the balance between modes of transport is not an end in itself but is necessary to disconnect mobility from the adverse effects of the present transport system such as congestion, air pollution, noise, accidents and climate change; acknowledges that the modal shift policy has not so far delivered satisfactory results; stresses, therefore, that all modes of transport must be optimised and become more environmentally friendly, safe and energy-efficient in order to achieve a high level of both mobility and environmental protection;

6.

Considers that the development of passenger and freight transport is largely dependent on the effective use of the various modes of transport, and that European transport policy should therefore be based on efficient co-modality, where the use of the most energy-efficient and sustainable transport modes should be prioritised where possible; believes that this will lead to an optimal rebalancing between the different transport modes, and will provide for interoperability within and between the modes, promote more sustainable transport and logistics chains and enhance seamless traffic flows across modes and nodes;

7.

Calls on the Commission to submit proposals to provide for the internalisation of the external costs of all modes of freight and passenger transport, by applying a common, coherent and transparent EU methodology and taking into account the specificity of each mode, including a coherent analysis of externalities that have already been internalised so as to avoid double taxation; calls for concrete measures to ensure a wider application of the ‘user pays’ and ‘polluter pays’ principles, including guidelines and best practices, and for a level playing field to be ensured between transport modes, abolishing environmentally harmful tax subsidies where appropriate, while maintaining the competitiveness of all EU regions;

8.

Calls on the Commission to propose a general framework for national road charging schemes for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, which should be non-discriminatory for third-country residents and prioritise distance-based charging; invites the Member States to earmark the revenue from infrastructure charges for the building and maintenance of safe transport infrastructure and the mitigation of transport-related environmental problems;

9.

Emphasises that the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network remains one of the preconditions for a more sustainable, efficient, seamless multimodal transport system and a more balanced distribution of freight and passengers among transport modes; stresses that the selection of projects eligible for EU funding must focus on the nine core network corridors, the completion of missing links, in particular cross-border sections, the elimination of bottlenecks, the upgrading of existing infrastructure, innovative transport solutions, interoperability, and the development of multimodal terminals and urban nodes; it should also put greater emphasis on European added value, on the development of infrastructure for the connectivity of the peripheral, island, mountainous and outermost regions, and on support for projects connecting the Trans-European Transport Network with infrastructure networks of neighbouring and candidate countries;

10.

Considers that EU funding must reflect the real investment needs for completing the TEN-T core network by 2030, and that the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) instrument and other means of financing should stimulate investment in transport infrastructure following the criteria set out in the TEN-T guidelines and CEF, giving priority to sustainable means of transport such as rail, inland waterways and short sea shipping; emphasises that co-funded projects should reflect the need for infrastructure that benefits the Union in terms of competitiveness and economic, social and territorial cohesion, that minimises the impact on the environment, that is resilient to the possible impact of climate change and that guarantees the health and safety of users;

11.

Calls for a drastic increase in the funds allocated to the Connecting Europe Facility and for more European competences in the preparation, implementation and financing of transnational transport planning and infrastructure financing;

12.

Stresses that the quality of road infrastructure, which has a direct impact on road safety, differs significantly across the EU and that more than 90 per cent of road accident deaths in the Member States occur on urban and rural roads; stresses that efficient financing of this type of infrastructure must be further promoted through different EU policies and instruments, especially in the cohesion countries; stresses also the need for proper maintenance of the existing infrastructure, including the secondary road network;

13.

Stresses that the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), proposed by the Commission as part of the Juncker Investment Plan for Europe, should give priority to sustainable transport and to infrastructure projects of vital importance that deliver high societal, economic and environmental value, and should target projects that promote high-quality job creation, long-term growth, competitiveness, innovation and territorial cohesion, including sustainable urban projects and rail projects, in accordance with EU transport policy goals and legislation (TEN-T guidelines, CEF); in this context, new ways of funding such as public-private partnerships and concessions deserve more attention and application; stresses that the process for selecting projects to be funded by EFSI should be transparent and involve relevant stakeholders from the public and private sector;

14.

Considers that EFSI should be funded as a priority from non-allocated resources within the EU budget and only as a last resort from the non-used funds of programmes under heading 1A of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020; emphasises that the financing of the guarantee fund should be reviewed in the framework of the 2016 mid-term review of the MFF and, on the basis of the analysis of the performance and execution rates of the different programmes, alternative funding options should be identified in order to minimise to the greatest possible extent redeployment of funds from heading 1A for the 2016-2020 period; stresses that the European Parliament and the Council should also explore ways to compensate to the largest possible extent for redeployments from EU programmes agreed in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure as a source of financing for EFSI in the years preceding the MFF mid-term review;

15.

Reaffirms its support for innovative financial instruments that allow public spending to be optimised by better mobilisation of private financing, but recalls that many projects in the transport sector do not generate enough revenue to rely exclusively on these types of instrument, and thus require support in the form of subsidies;

16.

Stresses that the rapid deployment and application of intelligent transport systems is necessary to allow a more efficient, sustainable and safe use of vehicles and of the existing infrastructure and to provide additional capacity without the time, cost and land-take required for the construction of new infrastructure; stresses the importance of effective use of frequencies and interoperability between intelligent transport systems to enable seamless traffic flows across modes and nodes; calls for the timely implementation of the deployment and exploitation phases of the EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, and the effective development of transport applications within the Galileo and EGNOS systems;

17.

Stresses that improving energy efficiency should be one of the top priorities of the European transport policy; states that there is an acute need to improve the resource efficiency of the transport system as a whole, with a view to more efficient use of existing capacity, improving the utilisation rate of vehicles and ensuring that public financing is allocated at national and EU level to measures with the highest impact;

18.

Emphasises the importance of promoting electro-mobility and electric public transport systems, coupled with the introduction of renewable energy sources in the electricity sector, giving priority to the further electrification of the rail network and the promotion of tramways, electric buses (trolleybuses), electric cars, electric two-/three-/four- wheelers, e-bikes and small electric boats; stresses the potential of modern aerial tramways (cable cars), as an inexpensive and easy-to-build means of transportation, to expand the capacity of urban public transport systems;

19.

Emphasises the importance of promoting the introduction of alternative fuels and propulsion systems, in particular those for which Europe has a major technological advantage, in order to reduce transport’s dependence on fossil fuels, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; deplores the fact that those technologies have still not been sufficiently deployed, especially in public transport;

20.

Notes that public transport usage in urban areas is not clearly stated among the ten goals of the White Paper; believes that a new goal should be set of doubling public transport use in urban areas by 2030; stresses in that regard that measures should be taken to provide for facilities and infrastructure to facilitate safe door-to-door mobility of public transport users, including elderly or disabled people and cyclists who use public transport for part of their ride; underlines that achieving this goal requires appropriate investment, especially in order to ensure consistent maintenance and expansion of public transport infrastructure; urges the Member States, therefore, to provide adequate, long-term, reliable funding for urban public transport infrastructure projects;

21.

Calls on the Commission to assist local, regional and national authorities and stakeholders to explore existing and new EU funding opportunities for public transport and develop innovative public-private partnership schemes; draws attention to the lessons to be learnt from the European Court of Auditors special report (No 1/2014) entitled ‘Effectiveness of EU-supported public urban transport projects’, which assessed the implementation and effectiveness of urban public transport projects co-financed by EU structural funds and the extent to which they meet user needs and achieve their objectives in terms of utilisation;

22.

Emphasises the importance of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) as a tool to help cities make more efficient use of transport infrastructure and services and improve integration into the urban area of the different mobility modes in a sustainable manner, thereby contributing to the reduction of air and noise pollution, CO2 emissions, congestion and road accidents; calls on the Commission to continue supporting the development and promotion of SUMPs; stresses that the European structural and investment funds should be used more systematically for cities that have developed an integrated local transport plan, such as a SUMP, and identified the appropriate actions in accordance with the criteria set out in the relevant legislation;

23.

Calls on the Commission to work with public transport operators and authorities with the aim of providing travel information to users through different media, including information addressing the needs of people with disabilities, and to play a greater role in identifying EU-wide best practices and conditions for improving urban public transport systems; calls also on the Commission and the Member States to safeguard the obligation for urban transport systems to connect city centres with their peripheral areas;

24.

Stresses that urban areas need a certain degree of flexibility to enable them to meet their obligations under EU law in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity and to ensure that mobility solutions are adapted to their specific circumstances;

25.

Stresses that the behaviour of transport users is key to the development of a more sustainable transport system; calls for initiatives that motivate and enable users, especially young people, to use safer and more sustainable means of transport (walking, cycling, including bike sharing and renting, public transport, car sharing, carpooling), which should be deployed within a safe infrastructure, and for journey planning and real-time information to be made available in order to facilitate the intermodal use of different transport modes through Intelligent Transport Systems; calls on the Commission to identify best-practice examples of combining multiple modes of transport with the potential to be implemented in other urban agglomerations;

26.

Stresses the need for better national and EU transport data on the behaviour of transport users, in particular as regards walking, cycling and gender-differentiated travel patterns, to be used by local authorities when defining their urban mobility policies;

27.

Emphasises the importance of taking steps to support regional programmes for creating and expanding cycling networks in large European regions, in order to encourage citizens to take more responsibility in environmental matters, to give everyone the opportunity to cycle, and to reduce noise pollution, congestion and urban pollution;

28.

Highlights the importance of analysing the positive effects on society of new forms of mobility supported by the Sharing Economy model, including ride-sharing; considers it important that there is a sharing of best practices among Member States so that regulatory adjustment is made to take account of these door-to-door mobility innovation platforms;

29.

Calls on the Commission to monitor the situation in the different Member States as regards the operation of transportation network companies that match drivers to passengers (Uber being the most prominent example), and to carry out an assessment of the legal, social, economic and environmental consequences arising from the operation of such companies, accompanied, if appropriate, by relevant measures or recommendations for developing innovative new services in Europe, taking into account the existing taxi services;

30.

Calls on the Commission to require the Member States to provide conditions of fair competition between shared transportation companies and traditional taxi and intercity transport companies as regards compliance with tax legislation, safety, public service obligations and employment conditions;

31.

Stresses that powered two-wheelers (motorcycles, scooters and mopeds) and, increasingly, e-powered two- and three-wheelers play a significant role in sustainable mobility, especially in urban areas where they contribute to tackling congestion and parking problems as well as providing a solution for small logistics; insists, therefore, that the specific design and afferent benefits of these vehicles should be adequately taken into account and reflected in EU transport legislation and guidelines;

32.

Calls for better optimisation of the supply chain in urban areas; urban freight vehicles contribute disproportionately to air and noise pollution and have a negative impact on congestion; urban logistics should foster optimisation of transport and cost-effective introduction of new types of operations, technologies and business models; better selection of modes and vehicles can ensure that a transport solution is optimally matched with the specific requirements of the shipment and the city in question;

33.

Stresses the importance of logistics depots located on the edge of urban areas, enabling goods to be transported to their destination in a coordinated way using the most energy-efficient modes of transport;

34.

Calls, with regard to road safety, for:

35.

Stresses that although significant improvements have been achieved in road safety over the past years, differences between Members States still persist and further measures are needed to attain the long-term Vision Zero objective; notes that road safety goes hand in hand with respectful behaviour by all road users, and that education in families and schools should play a greater role in achieving that objective;

36.

Stresses the need to complete the established legislative framework for passenger rights with measures aimed at eliminating all possible loopholes in the legislation, covering passengers on multimodal journeys and ensuring fair intermodal competition, while taking account of specific differences between transport modes, legal responsibility for the individual sections of the journey and the interaction between the various modes; reiterates its call for a Charter of Passenger Rights that would set out the fundamental passenger rights applicable to all modes of transport, taking account of the specificities of each mode and containing a separate section on multimodal journeys, so as to improve the visibility of EU rules and ensure better enforcement; calls for initiatives to promote and make available to passengers multimodal travel information, planning and ticketing services; asks also for measures to improve the quality of transport and facilitate barrier-free accessibility for elderly people, passengers with reduced mobility and disabled passengers, and for greater consideration to be given to passengers’ special needs, such as those of cyclists transporting their bicycles on trains;

37.

Calls, in connection with the fundamental right of everyone to individual mobility, especially people with disabilities and the elderly, for more investment in research and development of appropriate driver-assistance systems;

38.

Notes that improving the availability of free or low-cost broadband, cellular networks, Wi-Fi and other digital services on public transport and at stations would improve personal mobility;

39.

Calls for an EU Roadmap aimed at establishing the framework for a European seamless multimodal passenger transport system; this Roadmap should identify key European multimodal passenger corridors under the existing TEN-T network, bring together public and private resources, align existing initiatives and concentrate EU funding support;

40.

Calls on the Commission and Member States to address the quality of work in all transport modes, with respect in particular to training, certification, working conditions and career development, with a view to creating quality jobs, developing the necessary skills and strengthening the competitiveness and mobility of EU transport operators; stresses the importance of resolving the issue of labour turnover and of an ageing workforce in the transport sector, and the urgent need to make working in the sector attractive to new generations;

41.

Emphasises the crucial importance of ensuring equal and fair treatment, good terms and working conditions and a safe working environment for transport workers; calls on the Commission, therefore, to present concrete and immediate measures/initiatives to address social aspects in the various transport modes, with the aim of promoting high-quality jobs and working conditions for transport workers and ensuring fair and undistorted competition between transport operators; urges the Commission to closely monitor the application and enforcement of EU social legislation by Member States in all transport modes;

42.

Stresses that measures are also necessary to boost women’s participation in the transport labour market, remove possible existing barriers, and ensure equal treatment of men and women by addressing existing remuneration and advancement gaps;

43.

Urges the Commission to ensure that proposals on the opening-up of services in all transport markets go hand in hand with the proper enforcement of EU social legislation and, where necessary, with support measures to avoid disparities between social conditions in the different Member States; stresses that the opening-up of transport markets should not lead to social dumping, poorer-quality services, less public service, unnecessary administrative burdens, unfair business practices or distortion of fair competition; it should, also, put an end to the fragmentation of the internal market and prevent the creation of monopolies or a race to the bottom with respect to the social protection of transport workers;

44.

Emphasises that digitalisation is vital to improving the efficiency and productivity of the transport sector; stresses the need to make better use of the opportunities offered by digital technologies, and to promote new transport services, as well as new business and distribution models, in order to foster growth, competiveness and jobs; stresses also the need to provide an enabling regulatory framework for pilot projects aimed at the deployment of intelligent automated transport in Europe; notes in this regard the key role of SMEs and start-ups in fostering innovation in the transport sector;

45.

Calls on the Commission to put the integrated approach (interoperability, inter-connectivity and intermodality), including ICT systems, at the heart of the review of the White Paper; reminds the Commission, furthermore, to combine technological advances with behavioural change in order to obtain an ambitious modal shift, as well as transport avoidance, through green logistics, proper mobility management tools and the application of digitalisation;

46.

Stresses that a European sustainable mobility policy must look at synergies between all transport modes, corridors and networks, and focus on the needs of key nodes, urban areas, interconnectivity points, transhipment platforms and ports; mobility should be envisaged as a system rather than a collection of individual modes;

47.

Calls for standardisation of intermodal loading units, taking into account the loading units used in global transport and the dimensions of transport vehicles, and for uniform provisions on loading safety, in order to optimise multi-modal transport and improve safety;

48.

Insists that bureaucratic hurdles should be reduced for all forms of transport; calls for greater simplification and harmonisation of documents and administrative and customs procedures, which should be practical, efficient and workable for all parties along the logistics chain; calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for establishing an electronic framework for multimodal transport of goods (e-Freight), achieving paperless, seamless information flows along the whole transport logistics chain, taking into account existing well-functioning tools and synergies, global developments and best practices;

49.

Calls for the introduction of a new goal, accompanied by the necessary measures, of shifting 50 % of the current transport of dangerous goods within the EU towards more sustainable transport modes such as rail and inland waterways by 2030 in full compliance with Directive 2008/68/EC on the inland transport of dangerous goods;

50.

Calls on the Commission to streamline the rules for the intermodal transport of dangerous goods so as to ensure interoperability between the different modes;

51.

Urges the Commission and the Member States to explore the potential and support the deployment of tube freight transportation and cycle logistics as promising concepts for a sustainable transport system;

52.

Highlights the key role played by the transport sector in developing tourism, in particular in those regions of the Union which are more remote and currently very difficult to access;

53.

Underlines that European hubs connect Europe with the rest of the world and that Europe needs to maintain its direct connectivity to all parts of the world, providing direct flights by European carriers from their hubs to overseas destinations and maintaining jobs and growth in the European aviation sector; stresses that flights within the EU not only provide mobility in the internal market but also play a vital role as feeder flights to maintain connectivity at EU hubs; EU policy must ensure an efficient and competitive feeder network to strengthen European hubs by reducing costs to globally competitive levels and ensuring fair competition with carriers from third countries; the EU Member States need a coherent and common policy in order not to further lose direct connectivity between Europe, Asia and Africa to hubs in the Gulf and Turkey; asks the Commission, therefore, to implement these goals in all EU aviation legislation and to apply them in negotiations with third countries;

54.

Calls for an enhanced research and technology policy with the aim of promoting innovation in the transport sector; considers that this policy, which must be accompanied by appropriate funding, should be drawn up in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, including citizens and representatives of users, in order to understand the needs of the sector and, accordingly, improve the allocation of EU funding, in particular through the Horizon 2020 programme; takes the view that priority should be given to projects with a clear European added-value which aim at decarbonising transport and promoting energy-efficient modes of transport (including walking and cycling), increasing the efficiency and transparency of the supply chain, enhancing transport accessibility, safety and security, improving traffic management and reducing administrative burdens; takes the view that particular attention should also be paid to disruptive technologies in the field of transport, for example in the form of automated or remote-controlled vehicles such as drones and driverless vehicles;

55.

Calls for the same level of effort in the area of education to encourage the appearance of new studies and training processes, in particular at professional and higher levels, focused on the new skills and professions that will emerge as a result of intelligent mobility;

56.

Stresses the importance of supporting EU framework programmes for research, development and innovation in order to achieve cleaner fuels and a high degree of technological advance, for example in relation to refined biofuels;

57.

Asks within the framework of the REFIT programme and during subsequent evaluations of European legislation for a general review of European driving licence and safety conditions and of transport-related reporting requirements with a view to achieving a substantial decrease in administrative burdens;

58.

Recognises the importance of interference-free radio frequencies, in particular as regards the enforcement of driving time and rest periods of road transport workers and the deployment of intelligent transport systems; calls on the Commission to create, where necessary, the relevant regulatory framework;

59.

Stresses that the creation of a European transport area is an important priority which depends to a large extent on international acceptance under agreements negotiated globally with our trade partners for all transport modes, particularly in connection with air and maritime transport, and that the EU should play an increasingly formative role in the relevant international bodies;

60.

Takes the view that the EU must maintain its leading role in the global efforts to reduce transport emissions in the framework of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) by promoting at global level the decarbonisation of transport and the development of sustainable modes of transport, thus contributing to achieving the internationally agreed goal of keeping global warming below 2 oC;

61.

Calls for a more integrated approach between Member States on the possibility of applying a reciprocity principle in our commercial relations with third countries and for an examination within the EU funding policy for transport of whether additional funding from third countries is appropriate;

62.

Emphasises that the exploitation of international resources for the development of our transport system (oil, lithium, precious metals, biofuels) should respect the legitimate interests of the people who live in the areas from which these resources are traded and imported;

63.

Calls, with regard to air transport, for:

64.

Calls, with regard to road transport, for:

65.

Calls, with regard to rail transport, for:

66.

Calls, with regard to maritime transport, for:

67.

Calls, with regard to inland waterway transport, for:

68.

Calls on the Commission to take into account the proposals contained in this resolution in the mid-term review of the White Paper and future initiatives in the transport area;

69.

Urges the Commission to monitor progress towards reaching the goals of the White Paper, and to report every five years on its implementation;

70.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.