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.”