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Sustainability is the key |
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Dirk Sterckx, Belgian MEP, longtime transport specialist: "Sustainability is the key"
As climate change laws and fuel scarcity start to bite into the petrol-based economy, Europe will have to battle to uphold the principle of sustainability in transport, says Belgian MEP and veteran transport specialist Dirk Sterckx.
“Sustainability is the main concept,” Sterckx says, looking ahead to Europe’s transport challenges over the next few years. “Not only from the environmental impact angle, but also if we succeed in keeping transport flowing. That is the big question: congestion and environment.”
Dirk Sterckx, 62, has enjoyed a colourful career. After studying German philology at Ghent University, he taught languages before working as a journalist at the former public Belgian broadcaster BRT. He rose to become head of news before being elected MEP in 1999, and was briefly chairman of his Flemish liberal party Open VLD in 2004. Much of his work in the Parliament has involved transport and environmental issues, and he ranks as his biggest achievement his role in developing new rules for maritime safety.
Re-elected in June for a third term as MEP, Sterckx says that strictly speaking, the recession has been a boon to the environment. “If you narrow it to its environmental impact, then it is brilliant. The year from September 2008 until September 2009 will be fantastic from an emissions point of view,” he says. “But this is not sustainable.”
Environmental imperatives still need to direct efforts towards cleaner vehicle technologies, he says. But Sterckx does not imagine vehicle manufacturers will develop such technologies for altruistic reasons – rather for economical ones. “We are going to go back to a situation where energy will be scarce and more expensive,” he says. “This will be the main driver for energy efficiency. By solving the energy question we can keep our standard of living. If not we’re in trouble.”
When it comes to broader questions about the capacity of Europe’s transport sector, Sterckx says the different transport modes need to be brought closer so there is a synergy of effort and an effective network linkage between them. “We need to make the switch in between the modes and make them economically viable,” he says.
There has been much debate in recent years about pricing systems that push goods and passengers from one transport mode to another. This is linked to questions about the real costs of transport systems, and how some are already indirectly subsidized through government infrastructure investment. Sterckx says charging modes for their real cost is something that may have to be adopted, but he wants an open debate on it. “If you want to solve transport and mobility problems you have to have a clever system that uses revenues in the direction you want to go. But it has to be a policy instrument, not a taxation instrument,” he says.
Sterckx is reluctant to prescribe too much market intervention, but he does insist that there should be a Europe-wide market for transport services. The lack of competition, he says, is particularly prevalent in rail. “The two big players, Deutsche Bahn and SNCF are building their power and buying more players. They don’t compete,” he says. “It is not about the number of railway companies operating on the network. The question is about competition. Does the customer have a real choice? We need a strong legal framework and it has to improve real competition.”
Addressing congestion, Sterckx says Europe will have to improve infrastructure for all modes. “If you have congestion charging and use the revenue to have alternatives, than this is the right way to go, cross modes,” he says. “However, this will not be quick nor easy and will be expensive. Congestion is never going to go away. We want to move around more and more.”
Sterckx says he has learnt a lot from his trips abroad in parliamentary delegations. He regrets that China’s economic overhaul meant the country’s long bicycle traditions were destroyed. And he says Europe can learn from New York’s efforts in recent years to improve the attractiveness of its subway.
He says that he hopes to use the next five-year parliamentary term to continue work on sustainability and on opening up the market. “We should not lose the wider perspective,” Sterckx says. “We should not go for populist short term solutions. We should not think that higher taxes will solve the problem by itself. There are no miracles. Progress is slow.”
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Martinez-Sans: The downturn will hit the transport sector |
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The economic crisis will overshadow everything in the transport sector for years to come, says Fuensanta Martinez-Sans, Director for Transport Policy and Public Relations at the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). She says the recession has already hit the transport sector badly, and will continue to have a massive knock-on affect for transport-related policies.
However, the European Commission’s Communication on the future transport policy, published last June, fails to mention it at all. “I was shocked to see there was nothing in the Communication about the biggest recession in living memory,” she says.
The downturn has been especially severe for commercial vehicle manufacturers, Martinez-Sans says, as the financial crisis has drastically limited access to credit, while the economic crisis has seen a dramatic drop in demand. “No-one expected it, nobody knows exactly how long it will last, or its final impact on the economy and on transport in particular,” she says. “It is obvious that the downturn will have an effect on our lives. So can we really be sure about the forecasts for the future in these circumstances?”
Martinez-Sans says vehicle manufacturers welcome the chance to debate transport issues, and see how the environment, fuel shortages, and other factors will shape policy over the next few decades. She says the Commission Communication, which inaugurates a year-long debate on transport policy, is a step forward, it even leaves a lot of unanswered questions. “We need all the stakeholders to come together to talk about these issues,” she says. “We cannot operate in isolation – we need everyone to work together to tackle the big issues like efficiency and congestion.”
ACEA’s overall objectives echo the Commission’s broad aims, Martinez-Sans says. “We aim to meet Europe’s economic, social and environmental needs,” she says. “People sometimes think we are just concerned with the bottom line, but we are committed to delivering the best and most efficient possible products, in the most sustainable way.” Transport is part of the European sustainable growth and competitiveness, she says – and road transport fulfils an overwhelming majority of the transport needs of companies and individuals in Europe.
Martinez Sans says vehicle manufacturers are fully committed to improving their environmental performance, but in the current circumstances, the Commission Communication puts too much emphasis on the immediate environmental investment expected from them. “The Communication announces additional measures on noise, emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions,” she says. “But we are disappointed that there is no reference to an integrated approach for reducing CO2 emissions, which includes aspects such as driver behaviour, fuel and infrastructure.”
One of the keys to cutting emissions is simply the renewal of fleets, Martinez Sans says. “The old vehicle makes more emissions than the new one,” she says. “So we should promote fleet renewal as part of any future policy aiming at providing a sustainable transport system.”
She backs alternative fuels to help reducing CO2 emissions, action from fuel companies and public authorities is needed to develop them and make them available on a large scale.
Martinez Sans says a key issue that should be addressed in the EU’s transport review is infrastructure investment. “This can no longer be delayed,” she says. “Europe’s transport infrastructure, especially its road network, is falling behind what is required for a modern economy. This has created bottlenecks and increased congestion and CO2 emissions.”
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Transport debate needs to look further ahead |
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Tom Antonissen, Public Affairs consultant
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Just 30 years old, public affairs consultant Tom Antonissen is already talking about European policies and societal trends like a veteran. However, Antonissen is keen to underline how his views are different from those of a Brussels establishment figure.
“It bothers me that in the European debate on transport, it is the same people saying the same things about the transport problems right now, like rail liberalization, or cabotage,” he says. “But in 2030, I will be 50, and in 2050 I will be part of a group with reduced mobility. My generation of transport professionals is not being heard, but we will be directly concerned with what is being decided now.”
Antonissen is currently the manager of the Transport Association Practice at LOGOS Public Affairs in Brussels. He has worked in competition law with the automobile sector, and is now a lobbyist for various transport groups like the European Freight and Logistics Leaders’ Forum (F&L), European Parking Association (EPA), Mobility for Prosperity in Europe (MPE), the European Confederation of Equipment Distributors (ECED) and rail group NEWOPERA.
But he believes that the ongoing European transport debate – which the European Commission hopes to shape with its recent Communication on the Future of Transport – is missing some key voices. “People say that the younger generation sees cars less as a status symbol,” he says. “We know environmental consciousness is growing, but we need to know how it will affect our future behaviour.”
But Antonissen’s focus is less on broad policies, and more on local initiatives that can make a huge difference in daily lives. “When I parked this morning in the car park near my office, there were many empty spaces,” he says. “Conversely, at the car park near my home, there are empty spaces at the weekend. When I am not using my space, why can’t it be available to others? It frustrates me when there are so many spaces left unused. With new satellite technologies for example, we can guide people to these spaces. Taking such guiding technology a step further, one can also imagine that in the future all modes of transport will be seamlessly integrated in one transport chain that is conceived with one major consideration in mind: the right to (sustainable) mobility of each individual – much like the concept of ’Connected Vehicles’ or ’the Connected Traveler’, as currently already propagated by ERTICO – ITS Europe.”
He points to London mayor Boris Johnson’s pledge to get rid of ‘bendy’ buses. “This is also an issue in Brussels, where they block streets and are sometime almost empty,” he says. “Can’t we move them to bigger streets? Can we use smaller buses? At LOGOS, we have a project with foldable bikes: it can mean we need fewer bus stops as people can bike further than where they would otherwise.”
Antonissen also says the transport debate needs to have more of a connection with new technologies and innovations. “I believe that in the future, next to a bank card, we will have a CO2 card,” he says. “The less CO2 you emit, the more bonuses you get on bus travel, and on fuel purchases. Now we can book rail tickets on mobile phones – the confirmation is a bar code sent to the phone, which is read by the ticket inspector or simply at a smart reader terminal.”
He also echoes the suggestion, in the Commission’s Transport Communication, that the public should understand the broader costs of transport. “I got my first car at 18. At the time, I thought driving was free, apart from the fuel costs,” he says. “Now I work in transport, I realize that this isn’t true - but nobody knows it.”
He cites parking as an example. “I always try to find underground parking rather than park in the street. I rent parking space near my office for €150/month, and another near my home, again for €150/month. So that’s €300/month for a space in a car park with minimum security. However, my peace of mind has been massive. Before, when I came home at say 8 or 9pm, I had to circle several times around the block. The savings are in wear and tear of the car, pollution costs, time spent, and not to mention the medical costs to society from the anxiety over finding a space.”
More broadly, Antonissen says there needs to be a big debate on the internalization of external costs – the idea that every mode of transport should reflect its full costs to both society and the user. “When I buy a rail ticket, I don’t pay the full cost because of massive subsidies,” he says. “We can say rail is green, but that depends on where the original electricity comes from. If you want to internalize these costs, it has to be openly and fairly for all the sectors – at the moment, the Commission is only doing it for the road sector. It’s not fair to simply focus on one mode of transport, and as a result make road transport more expensive.”
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Tajani unveils EU transport strategy |
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Antonio Tajani
European Commission Vice-President
Commissioner for Transport
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The European Commission kicked off a year-long debate on the EU’s transport plans on Wednesday, when it unveiled a paper outlining how the environment, fuel shortages, and other factor will shape policy over the next few decades.
EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said the Communication was the starting point for a consultation process involving stakeholders and transport experts, and culminating in a White Paper next year that would offer more detailed proposals. "I believe that the time is ripe to throw this policy forward,” he said.
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“Firstly by further integrating different transport modes; by putting the EU at the forefront for transport services and technologies; and thirdly shaping this future transport policy on the needs and rights of both transport users and workers.”
The Communication identifies six trends and challenges that the Commission says will define transport policy over the coming decades: aging, migration and internal mobility, environmental challenges, the availability of energy resources, urbanisation and globalization.
These will impact policy in different ways. For example, by 2060, the number of people aged 65 or more will rise from 17% today to 30% of the population, putting more emphasis on transport services for users with reduced mobility. Oil is expected to become more expensive in the coming decades, and the paper says Europe will need to move to a low-carbon economy, boost energy security and use of renewables. And globally, it says the number of cars in the world will jump from about 700 million today to more than three billion in 2050.
The paper says households in the EU spend about 13.5% of their income on transport-related goods and services, making it the second biggest budget item after house-related expenditures. And it notes that more and more road motor vehicles are driving on Europe’s roads: the stock of passenger cars in the EU-27 surged by around 40% since 1990 to reach a total of about 230 million in 2006.
Entitled ‘A sustainable future for transport: Towards an integrated, technology-led and user friendly system’, the Communication does not include a detailed programme of policy measures, but instead puts forward ideas meant to stimulate further debate on possible policy options.
Tajani accepted that environmental concerns were a key issue in any transport perspective. “We want to reduce emissions,” he said. The Communication itself says, “the European transport system is still not on a sustainable path on several aspects."
Speaking at the press conference to launch the paper, Tajani insisted that the Commission still wanted to see a road toll system – the Eurovignette – in all EU countries, implemented under a ‘polluter pays’ principle. “If we have this Eurovignette, the money collected should be earmarked for transport infrastructure,” he said. “We are not going for a high tax option per se, but the Eurovignette should come into the mix. We also want to do this in a way that is not too onerous.”
However, the document does not prescribe any actions in this area. "The most immediate priorities appear to be the better integration of the different modes of transport as a way to improve the overall efficiency of the system and the acceleration of the development and deployment of innovative technologies," it says.
And it calls for smarter use of technology in areas like transport safety, fuel dependency, vehicle emissions, network congestion and the shift to a low-carbon society.
Other areas where the document suggests action are in passenger rights, noting that consumer satisfaction in bus and rail public transport is very low. “The passenger has to be at the heart of this strategy. It has to be a major protagonist,” Tajani said.
The Communication also calls for liberalisation of the rail sector, arguing that similar moves in aviation and road transport have slashed prices. It points to the how market opening in air transport led to more efficiency and lower costs: intra-EU routes have increased by 120% between 1992 and 2008.
And it says transport users should be aware of the full price of the service: prices should give "correct incentives to users, planners and investors," so that negative impacts such as pollution can be limited, it said.
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Plotting Europe's transport future |
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Mattia Pellegrini,
European Commission
Cabinet Commissioner Tajani |
As the European Commission prepares to unveil today its Communication on the future of European transport, we speak with Mattia Pellegrini, an aide to EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani.
Today, June 17, the European Commission will publish a paper laying down a strategic vision for the future of transport and mobility. It is an ambitious effort that outlines the key transport challenges of our time and sets the scene for an integrated, technology-led and user friendly transport system. “We want to be able to identify the key drivers of European transport, as they will determine our policies over the next ten years,” says Mattia Pellegrini, the 35-year-old aide who has been instrumental in drafting the Communication.
Pellegrini works in the cabinet of European Commission Vice-President and Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani. He says the overall goal of the EU’s transport policy is to establish a sustainable and fully integrated transport system that meets society's environmental, social and economic needs. But firstly, the EU has to be clear about what is driving transport in Europe: Pellegrini says the Communication identifies the five vital trends that will affect transport over the next decade:
• Climate change, and environmental challenges in general
• The aging of Europe’s population
• Immigration
• Urban areas
• Globalization
Immigration might not be an obvious item on the list, but Pellegrini says that it is all about the mobility of people. “There will be a net import of workers between now and 2050 of 54-56 million people,” he says. “That means we have millions more people traveling around Europe. The transport infrastructure will have to adapt to this huge increase in demand.”
But urban growth is clearly a driver for transport. “Cities will be the connection point,” he says. “All the big networks will involve cities, and if they are not planned efficiently, there will be huge problems of congestion. And pollution: urban mobility will be a huge area for resolving environmental challenges.”
As for globalization, Pellegrini says this is a factor covering both challenges from abroad, but also the question of how to connect Europe’s networks with those of neighbouring regions, like Africa.
Pellegrini explains that the Communication is part of a long process that will lead to the adoption in 2010 of a new Transport White Paper laying down a European action programme for the next decade and help the transition to a low-carbon society.
The process started with a series of focus groups with the different stakeholders and transport experts, and was followed by a High Level Stakeholders’ Conference in March. The upcoming Communication itself is not a detailed programme of policy measures, but proposes a vision and ideas that aim to stimulate further debate and develop new possible policy options.
And next year, the White Paper should provide concrete policy proposals. “We do not want to prejudge the final outcome, which will be the next White Paper in 2010,” Pellegrini says. “This will obviously be for the next Commission that will take office in November, and it would be inappropriate and unfair for an outgoing Commissioner to set the agenda for the next ten years. But it would be appropriate – and a nice gesture – what are the drivers and objectives of policies.”
Next year’s White Paper will follow-up a 2001 White Paper that set an agenda for transport policy until 2010. The underlying aim of the 2001 document was to cut road congestion by transferring freight to what was seen as environmentally-friendly transport like maritime routes and railways.
However, a mid-term review in 2006 shifted the strategy to take more account of market realities, and developed the concept of ‘co-modality’, or the optimized use of all modes of transport – with easier transfers from one mode to another through the harmonization of standards and more efficient logistics chains. “The objectives will be the same as those in the mid-term review of 2006, including the issue of co-modality,” says Pellegrini. “However, we now prefer another term for this, which is the integration of different modes of transport. Each mode of transport has its own peculiarity, and its own contribution to make. You can achieve a lot in terms of efficiency, pollution reduction and cost cutting by integrating the different modes of transport well.”
Pellegrini offers, as examples, high speed trains and aviation, or in urban areas, cycling and walking. And this ties in with what he expects to become a key part of the EU’s approach to transport: technology. “In the communication, we say clearly that one element which will have a huge impact in the future of transport policy is technology,” Pellegrini says. This will work in two ways: developing of assisting technologies to help make systems more efficient; and in developing alternative modes of transport. “There are many projects around Europe in these areas. We believe technologies will make the difference over the next ten years,” he says.
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