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Document 52011IP0584
Single European transport area European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2011 on the Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system (2011/2096(INI))
Single European transport area European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2011 on the Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system (2011/2096(INI))
Single European transport area European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2011 on the Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system (2011/2096(INI))
OJ C 168E, 14.6.2013, p. 72–81
(BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)
14.6.2013 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
CE 168/72 |
Thursday 15 December 2011
Single European transport area
P7_TA(2011)0584
European Parliament resolution of 15 December 2011 on the Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system (2011/2096(INI))
2013/C 168 E/10
The European Parliament,
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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 its resolution of 12 February 2003 on the Commission White Paper ‘European transport policy for 2010: time to decide’ (1), |
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having regard to its resolution of 12 July 2007 on ‘Keeping Europe moving – Sustainable mobility for our continent’ (2), |
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having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2010 on a sustainable future for transport (3), |
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having regard to its resolution of 21 October 2010 on the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) – evaluation of progress made and new challenges (4), |
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having regard to its resolution of 5 July 2011 on the Commission's fifth Cohesion Report and the strategy for post-2013 cohesion policy (5), |
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having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2011 on aviation security, with a special focus on security scanners (6), |
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having regard to its resolution of 27 September 2011 on European road safety 2011-2020 (7), |
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having regard to the Commission communications entitled ‘The Citizens’ Network’ (COM(1995)0601) and ‘Action Plan on Urban Mobility’ (COM(2009)0490), |
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having regard to the Commission's 1995 communication entitled ‘Towards fair and efficient pricing in transport’ (COM(1995)0691), and to its 1998 communication entitled ‘Transport and CO2’ (COM(1998)0204); whereas the Commission should now republish the latter communication, |
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having regard to the EU 2020 Strategy, |
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having regard to the Community acquis in the field of transport, |
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having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure, |
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having regard to the report of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the opinions of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Regional Development (A7-0425/2011), |
A. |
whereas European transport policy directly affects EU citizens in many situations in daily life, and whereas a genuine Single European Transport Area eliminating all barriers between transport modes and national systems and free of distortions of competition and social dumping would benefit them considerably; |
B. |
whereas the transport sector is of major importance for the development of the European Union, its regions and its towns, as it accounts for some 5 % of GDP and provides some 10 million jobs; whereas it is crucial to maintain the EU's capacity to develop and innovate in areas, such as mobility, transport and logistics, which are decisive for Europe’s position as an industrial and economic centre and its global competitive position; whereas small and medium-sized enterprises play a particularly important role in the transport sector; |
C. |
whereas the future European transport and mobility policy should integrate the 20-20-20 targets for the period to 2020 as a primary basis for decision-making in this field, |
D. |
whereas transport can make a significant contribution to the EU 2020 Strategy, particularly with regard to employment, sustainable economic growth, research, energy, innovation and the environment, bearing in mind that safety and environmental protection must be promoted more consistently and should be coordinated more closely; |
E. |
whereas certain goals of the last White Paper were not reached, and the goals set should therefore be regularly checked and assessed; |
F. |
whereas carriers should not be competitors, but should complement one another in a context of efficient co-modality, under the guiding principle of an efficient modal distribution of carriers; |
G. |
whereas the targets for modal transfers cannot be achieved by means of legislation, but only by exploiting a functioning infrastructure, intrinsic advantages and strengths and incentives; |
H. |
whereas it is essential to ensure the successful development of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), effectively link the transport networks of all EU regions and eliminate disparities between the levels of infrastructure development in the EU Member States, |
I. |
whereas the transport sector and cross-border infrastructure continue to face many historical and geographical obstacles (different track gauges or impregnable barriers in the form of mountain ranges such as the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Carpathians) that produce ‘frontier effects’, which can often be easily remedied and should therefore be reduced; |
J. |
whereas differences among regions in Europe (peripheral situation, infrastructure, landscape, population density, socio-economic situation) give rise to widely differing problems which need flexible solutions; |
K. |
whereas the opening-up of transport markets should be made conditional on the development of all the regulatory safeguards needed to guarantee that it will result in better quality services, training and employment conditions; |
L. |
whereas the EU should set consistent standards for all carriers, with particular regard to safety, technology, environmental protection and working conditions, while taking into account the fact that, in sectors where global rules apply de facto, effective regulation can be achieved through the relevant international fora; |
M. |
whereas the legislation adopted in the field of transport must be correctly, consistently and rapidly transposed, implemented and enforced; |
1. |
Welcomes the 2011 White Paper, but notes that major goals of the 2001 White Paper were achieved either only in part or not at all, and proposes:
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2. |
Calls on the Commission to put forward, by 2013, a proposal on social and working conditions in order to facilitate the creation of a genuinely integrated European transport market and, at the same time, enhance the attractiveness of the sector for workers; this proposal should be based on an in-depth analysis of the current situation with regard to social and working conditions in all transport modes and the degree of harmonisation between the laws of the Member States, and on an assessment of the impact of developments on the transport labour market over the period to 2020; this proposal should increase employment and improve the situation of workers throughout the transport sector and take account of new technologies and logistical services which can be used to improve transport services in general and for disabled people in particular; |
3. |
Asks the Commission to submit, by 2013, on the basis of the information provided by the Member States, a coherent, quantitative analysis of the current situation with regard to the level of infrastructure, the density of the transport network and the quality of transport services in all EU Member States; this will provide an overview of the current situation in the EU27, highlight inequalities in the development of transport infrastructure between the Member States and their regions and outline the way transport infrastructure across all modes is currently funded and future investment priorities; |
4. |
Is aware of the major contribution made by the transport sector to industrial policy, competitiveness and the EU’s trade balance; notes that in 2009 exports of machinery and equipment in the transport sector totalled EUR 454,7 billion, accounting for 41,5 % of all exports from the EU27; notes, further, that in 2009 the EU registered its biggest trade surpluses in the areas of machinery and equipment in the transport sector (EUR 112,6 billion) and transport services (EUR 21,5 billion); |
5. |
Approves the 10 goals for a competitive and resource-efficient transport system and the targets set in the White Paper for 2050 and 2030, but considers that more specific provisions are required for the period to 2020 with regard to funding – in view of the economic situation of individual Member States – and the general challenges facing transport in the field of energy and the environment, and therefore calls on the Commission to draw up legal rules to achieve a 20 % reduction in emissions of CO2 and other GHGs from transport (by comparison with 1990 reference figures) and the following intermediate goals by 2020 (by comparison with 2010 reference figures), in accordance with the 20-20-20 targets and in cooperation with international partners:
and calls for all the goals referred to in this paragraph to be considered priorities, which should therefore be checked every year; |
6. |
Stresses that the aim should be to complete the European internal transport market by further opening-up transport networks and markets, taking into account economic, employment, environmental, social and territorial aspects, and calls on the Commission to ensure that proposals on the opening-up of services in all transport markets do not lead to social dumping, poorer-quality services, monopolies or oligopolies; stresses that guidelines on state aid for seaports are still urgently needed; |
7. |
Highlights the as yet insufficiently explored potential of transport in many areas, and insists on the importance of a single European transport area, with interconnection and interoperability, based on genuinely European management of transport infrastructure and systems achieved by eliminating ‘border-effects’ between Member States in all transport modes, in order to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of the entire European Union; stresses the importance of territorial cohesion and, in particular, the accessibility problems facing the outermost regions, islands, landlocked and peripheral regions and good connections between Member States and their neighbouring countries; |
8. |
Stresses that efficient co-modality in passenger mobility and goods transport throughout the entire chain of transport and logistics services – measured in terms of economic efficiency, environmental protection, energy security, social, health and employment conditions, safety and security, and taking account of territorial cohesion and the geographical environment in individual countries and regions – should be the guiding idea for future transport policy; takes the view that transport modes must complement one another and interact and that the parameters outlined above should be used to determine the current and future modal distribution in countries and regions, according to their individual possibilities; considers, further, that use of sustainable means of transport should be systematically promoted, also for short and medium distances; |
9. |
Notes the Union's high degree of dependence on imported fossil fuels, whose supply from outside the Union entails significant risks in terms of the Union’s economic security and in terms of the flexibility of its external policy options, and calls on the Commission to define and regularly measure the Union’s security of external energy supply; |
10. |
Highlights the importance of developing the transport infrastructure of new Member States, including the road infrastructure, in order to establish a single European transport area and of connecting their transport networks with those of neighbouring states; calls on the Commission to include the transport infrastructure development needs of new Member States in its future multiannual financial framework, so that, by 2025, the transport infrastructure of the new Member States reaches the level of the other Member States; |
11. |
Welcomes and supports the Commission's proposal on the ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ and the Project Bonds Initiative, and calls on the Member States to implement the core network, since the TEN-T concept should provide for a limited number of sustainable projects with European added value and with greater and realistic funding; urges that:
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12. |
Stresses that establishing good transport infrastructure and good levels of access to it will make all regions economically stronger and more attractive to direct investment, thereby enhancing both their own competitiveness and the competitive position of the EU as a whole in the longer term and ensuring that the internal market develops properly and the goal of territorial cohesion is achieved; |
13. |
Points out that transport networks play a leading role in spatial planning policies; stresses the particular importance of major transport infrastructure, such as high-speed railways, in boosting local development; considers that the macro-regions and the strategies for their development have the potential to play a more active role in the implementation of a coordinated, effective and sustainable transport policy; recalls the importance of drawing up, planning and implementing joint transport infrastructure strategies, as well as the need to disseminate best practices in the field of transport; stresses that EU citizens and enterprises will be direct beneficiaries of a single European transport area which has as its goals a reduction in the time and resources taken up by freight and passenger transport and closer integration of the markets; |
14. |
Notes that the same risk-appropriate security standards, harmonised at European level, should apply to all forms of passenger and goods transport, and calls for a proposal to fund compliance with this requirement; takes the view that, in the case of maritime and air transport, international coordination should be a prerequisite, and that existing rules should be reviewed and, if necessary, revised by 2015 and progressively integrated into agreements with third countries; |
15. |
Stresses the importance of a coherent strategy for making the transition to alternative and renewable energies for transport, and highlights the fact that the goals set could be achieved using an energy mix and existing methods for saving energy; points out that this transition requires specific infrastructure and corresponding incentives and that the reduction goals should be formulated in a technology-neutral manner; |
16. |
Requests, by 2015, a proposal on urban mobility in which, in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity, support for projects is made conditional on the submission by local authorities of sustainable mobility plans for efficient passenger and goods logistics chains in urban and built-up areas which contribute to a reduction in traffic volumes, accidents, atmospheric pollution and noise, comply with the standards and targets of European transport policy, fit in with the needs of surrounding towns and regions and do not create new market barriers; proposes an exchange of best practices in the area of innovation and research into sustainable concepts for urban mobility; |
17. |
Stresses that the behaviour of transport users is decisive, and calls for the creation of incentives to choose sustainable physically active, safe and healthy means of transport and mobility; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity, to submit by 2013 proposals to develop initiatives that promote environmentally friendly public transport, walking and cycling, especially in towns and cities, with the aim of doubling their number of users; considers it important, therefore, to develop safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, especially in towns and cities, and to improve interoperability between transport services, to promote the introduction of a single transport document and an integrated e-ticket system for multi-modal travel which also links long-distance and local transport; recalls that accessibility and affordability of transport is crucial for social mobility and that greater attention should be paid to reconciling sustainability aims with social needs when planning the transport policies of the future; |
18. |
Believes that the basic rules on passengers' rights should be laid down in a Charter of Passengers' Rights covering all forms of transport, and therefore expects the Commission to put forward, at the latest at the beginning of 2012, a corresponding proposal which takes account of both the specific characteristics of each transport mode and past experience and contains a chapter on the rights of passengers with disabilities; calls, at the same time, for uniform interpretation and consistent application, implementation and enforcement of these rights, on the basis of clear definitions and guidelines, and transparency regarding their management; stresses, further, the need for legislation in the area of add-on charges across all modes of transport; |
19. |
Stresses the need for an integrated transport policy for the entire value chain of transport and logistics, in order to address properly the challenges of transport and mobility, in particular those which arise in urban areas; calls for enhanced coordination among policy-makers in the European institutions and for permanent dialogue and consultation with the logistics industry, transport-service suppliers and customers in a European logistics and mobility forum; |
20. |
Calls for priority to be given to promoting green logistics and improved mobility management; |
21. |
Asserts that sustainable multi-modality for passengers and goods logistics calls for the provision of intermodal connection points and terminals, integrated planning and logistics and integrated education and vocational training; |
22. |
Stresses that the EU must remain at the forefront of technological innovation in order to promote efficiency, sustainability and employment; calls for funding to be provided for a research and development programme which is specifically aimed at sustainable and safe mobility, with a specific implementation strategy, a timeline and efficient financial control, with the aim of:
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23. |
Considers that bureaucratic hurdles should be reduced for all forms of transport and calls, therefore, for greater simplification and harmonisation of transport and logistics documents, particularly for goods transport and for the submission, by 2013, of a proposal on the standardisation of freight and e-documents, also with a view to promoting multimodal freight; |
24. |
Stresses the need to improve and standardise control devices, such as speed cameras, on-board units and communications systems and media, and calls for the submission, by 2013, of a proposal concerning the mutual recognition and interoperability of such devices; stresses the need to enhance coordination and cooperation between national authorities in cross-border prosecutions and to ensure greater convergence in the application of road safety standards; |
25. |
Highlights the fact that possible changes to, and the standardisation of, loading units, taking into account the loading units used in global transport and the dimensions of transport vehicles, must serve to optimise multi-modal transport and offer demonstrable benefits in the form of fuel savings, lower emissions and improved road safety; |
26. |
Proposes that Member States only authorise the use of the European Modular System on certain routes when the existing infrastructure and safety requirements allow it and inform the Commission that authorisation has been granted; |
27. |
Emphasises the importance of the various European transport agencies, and calls for fresh efforts to strengthen their European dimension; |
28. |
Calls on Member States to support and work towards the establishment of a level playing field between all modes of transport in terms of energy taxation and value added tax (VAT); |
29. |
Calls, with regard to road transport, for:
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30. |
Calls, with regard to shipping, for:
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31. |
Calls, with regard to air transport, for:
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32. |
Calls, with regard to rail transport, for:
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33. |
Recognises that Europe’s railway industry is increasingly vulnerable to competition on the EU market from third-country suppliers; expresses concern at the substantial barriers preventing EU suppliers from bidding for public contracts in non-EU countries; |
34. |
Calls on the Commission to identify, quantify and evaluate, in the impact studies of the legislative proposals, the scope for creating ‘ecological employment’ and the measures to promote it; |
35. |
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to present a joint strategy involving information, communication and consultation of the players involved, including, in particular, participation by the citizens concerned, on the needs, planning, development and financing of the infrastructure required for growth, mobility, development and employment, in accordance with commitments made as part of the Europe 2020 strategy; |
36. |
Taking into account the fact that the local and regional bodies have significant competences in the area of transport policy, regards it as essential that they should be able to participate through a multi-level governance approach; |
37. |
Calls on the Commission to assess annually the goals of the White Paper, the progress made, and the results, and to report to Parliament every five years on the implementation of the White Paper; |
38. |
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission. |
(1) OJ C 43 E, 19.2.2004, p. 250.
(2) OJ C 175 E, 10.7.2008, p. 556.
(3) OJ C 351 E, 2.12.2011, p. 13.
(4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0386.
(5) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0316.
(6) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0329.
(7) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0408.