92002E3757

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3757/02

by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission

(23 December 2002)

Subject: Quantified environmental objectives in the transport sector

In the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme the Commission was invited, in the context of the target of an 8 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, to submit by the end of 2002 quantified environmental objectives for a sustainable transport system (Article 5(2)(d)). A Commission group of experts has proposed quantified objectives for three areas (greenhouse gases, air quality and noise).

At its meeting of 6 December 2002 the Council recognised these three areas greenhouse gases, emissions of pollutants and noise as priorities for the transport sector and stressed the need for medium- and long-term environmental targets in the transport sector.

What stage has been reached in the Commission's deliberations? When will the Commission submit a proposal for quantified environmental objectives in the transport sector?

Will the Commission keep to the schedule set in the Sixth Environment Action Programme? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2003)

In the 2001 White Paper on the Common Transport Policy(1), the Commission noted that for achieving the ultimate objective of sustainable transport, [t]his sustainable transport system needs to be defined in operational terms in order to give the policy-makers useful information to go on. Where possible, the objectives put forward need to be quantified. The Commission plans to submit a communication in 2002 to spell out these objectives. Such an invitation was also contained in the Sixth Environment Action Programme.

The Council conclusions of 6 December 2002 mention that three areas, greenhouse gases, pollutant emissions and noise, need further actions both from Member States and the Community. Work is underway in all sectors.

In the same Council conclusions, the Council welcomes that the Commission is actively pursuing its work on the examination of possible use of indicative long-term and intermediate environmental targets for transport sector on Community level.

In the course of 2002, the Commission has worked on developing the concept of environmental targets for transport further inter alia based on advice from its Joint Expert Group on Transport and Environment, jointly managed by Directorate General (DG) Transport and Energy and DG Environment.

The present state-of-play is that discussions are still ongoing in the Commission with regard to defining an appropriate approach for setting targets. As a result, the envisaged Communication is now included in the Commission's Work Programme for 2003 and thus expected in the course of 2003. This Communication will set out general principles for the use of environmental targets for transport policy and identify those environmental problems for which such targets could be of use at Community level.

(1) COM(2001) 370 final.