The IRU calls upon EU decision makers to deliver an ambitious, sustainable, business-friendly policy framework to meet current and future mobility needs and challenges at EU and global level.

Brussels – In the framework of the European Parliament debate on a Sustainable future for transport in the European Union, and amidst Commission preparations for the forthcoming EU White Paper on Transport Policy, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) calls upon MEPs to support an ambitious approach to future EU transport policy, placing the emphasis on sustainability and business-friendliness, thus efficiency.

IRU General Delegate to the EU, Michael Nielsen, said, “An ambitious EU transport policy programme for the next decade and beyond must address global challenges that significantly impact the economic growth and competitiveness of the EU, bearing in mind that road transport will remain the key enabler of current and future travel and logistics supply chains, interconnecting all other modes for the benefit of European citizens, consumers and businesses.” He added that there is no grounds in today’s economy and European single market for providing financial support to individual transport modes to force modal shift, which has proven to work against sustainable and efficient transport services.”

The IRU welcomes the draft report of the EP rapporteur, Mathieu Grosch, on a sustainable future for transport and strongly supports MEPs’ amendments that:

promote an efficient, safe and sustainable transport system to optimise the use of each individual mode and their interaction;

promote co-modality, as opposed to forced modal shift in freight transport;

promote collective passenger transport, in particular by bus, coach and taxi, and set the clear policy objective at EU level of doubling their use in the next decade;

give priority to incentives over sanctions;

promote the internalisation of external costs for all modes, whilst ensuring that all modes pay only the costs related to their own externalities and use of infrastructure, and that revenues collected are used to effectively reduce the externalities and improve the infrastructure ;

set as an objective the completion of the internal market for all modes, the creation of a single EU enforcement area and the promotion of training;

create a road transport agency to promote and further facilitate this sector vital for the EU economy and mobility;

centralise EU resources into a dedicated transport fund, which could support the implementation of the future EU transport policy, provided that funds collected are clearly earmarked and used to improve conditions of the respective transport mode.  

support the ambitious target of reducing road fatalities and serious injuries by 40% by 2020 by targeting the main cause of accidents.

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See the IRU White Paper on the Future of Commercial Road Transport in the EU

See IRU’s Manifesto Europe Needs Road Transport

See “Did you know?” Learn and test your knowledge of passenger and goods transport by road in the EU

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