EuroCommerce welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of the ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’ perceived as an additional step towards a fully integrated transport system in the EU. Removing all barriers between the different modes of transport, reducing red-tape and completing a truly European internal market for transport is essential to the sector. Commerce salutes the excellent work of Rapporteur Mathieu Grosch and supports what is an overall balanced report, taking commerce’s interest into account.

EuroCommerce Director General Christian Verschueren commented, “Developing the transport infrastructures in new Member States, and removing obstacles such as the existing bottlenecks on corridors between large urban hubs is vital to achieving a well-functioning single European transport area.” He added, “The proposals made in this report are positive for the commerce sector and will contribute to improving competitiveness. However, implementation will be key. We need to make sure that these measures are effectively put into action if we want to achieve the goals of the Roadmap.”

Commerce also welcomes the report’s commitment towards sustainability and more environmentally-friendly modes of transport. Considering the commerce sector’s long-standing commitment towards sustainability, we do not oppose the internalisation of external costs under certain conditions. Mr. Verschueren commented, “The commerce sector understands that the negative environmental impacts of freight transport need to be addressed. However, road pricing should not result in double charging and the revenues generated must be earmarked for transport-related issues.”

Contacts:
Mohamed Temsamani
Assistant on Environment & Logistics
T: +32 2 737 05 83
temsamani@eurocommerce.be

Marjolein Raes
Director Advocacy & Communications
T: +32 2 737 05 99
raes@eurocommerce.be

EuroCommerce and the commerce sector

EuroCommerce represents the retail, wholesale and international trade sectors in Europe. Its membership includes commerce federations and companies in 31 European countries.

Commerce plays a unique role in the European economy, acting as the link between manufacturers and the nearly 500 million consumers across Europe over a billion times a day. It is a dynamic and labour-intensive sector, generating 11% of the EU’s GDP. One company out of three in Europe is active in the commerce sector. Over 95% of the 6 million companies in commerce are small and medium-sized enterprises. It also includes some of Europe’s most successful companies. The sector is a major source of employment creation: 31 million Europeans work in commerce, which is one of the few remaining job-creating activities in Europe. It also supports millions of dependent jobs throughout the supply chain from small local suppliers to international businesses.