92000E0582

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0582/00

by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission

(29 February 2000)

Subject: European sustainable tansport policy

Can national governments and EU institutions, habitually at loggerheads on transport questions, actually achieve a sufficient meeting of minds?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(14 April 2000)

The question of sustainable transport is of vital interest to all Member States as well as the Community as a whole. A sufficient meeting of minds can only be achieved through dialogue and openness. The Commission has for this reason set up a joint transport and environment expert group to advise it on issues of environmentally sustainable transport, which is one of the key concerns in the common transport policy. The Commission intends to come forward in the autumn of this year with a new communication which sets the common transport policy in the new context of the 21st century. The communication will aim to take account of the profound changes that are occurring in the European economy and the trend to globalisation as a whole. In addition to this initiative, the Commission intends to issue a further communication in 2000 on the subject of Clean urban transport. These two new communications will give the Community the opportunity to re-assess what has to be done to ensure that transport plays an effective role in the general effort to ensure sustainable growth in the Community.