Transport Policy

Editor's note 23Apr13: Source D141 (common sections), D241, D341.

History and status quo

In 1996, the European Parliament and Council decided to create the Trans-European Transport Network, also known as TEN-T, to meet the goals of the European Union's Common Transport Policy established in Article 2 of the Treaty of Rome. The TEN-T is a system of road, rail, air and water infrastructure that will create a single "multimodal network that integrates land, sea and air transport networks" throughout the European Union. This system of long-distance, high-speed routes is meant to enable goods and people to move easily throughout the continent.

The transport network is to be developed according to a set of guidelines, first published in 1996. In light of growing traffic and environmental sustainability concerns linked to transport, attempts at revion have included

• the 2010 Green Paper "Towards a better integrated trans-European transport network at the service of the common transport policy", which among other things, emphasises the need to make mobility more environmentally-friendly
• the 2011 White Paper "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource", including about 60 measures aiming at a European transport system until 2050.

Aims and objectives

The aim of developing a Trans-European Transport Network is to "trigger further economic growth and competitiveness" by enabling goods and people to move more easily throughout the continent. As such, it is a crucial element of the Lisbon Strategy for competitiveness and employment. Further objectives include

• a 60% reduction in transport GHG emmissions by 2050 in relation to the base year of 1990
• reducing the transport sector's dependency on oil (by using non-conventional fuels)
• limiting congestion.

Overall, the EU's view is that increased sustainability can be achieved without sacrificing efficiency, mobility, or competitiveness.

Structure and components

The main components for building a high quality and intermodal TEN-T are: cross-border sections, bottlenecks, integrations of all modes of transport, and the harmonisation of operational rules. Resource efficiency and climate challenges are also considered throughout the policy's implementation.

Available policy instruments include: 1) pricing, 2) taxation, 3) research and innovation, 4) efficiency standards and flanking measures, 5) internal market, 6) infrastructure and 7) transport planning.

Since the paper outlines a strategy, possible policy measures are broadly defined and will only be specified in other EU policies or national policies. Nonetheless, the Commission has modelled possible initiatives in each of the policy areas above to assess their effectiveness and efficiency. An impact assessment conducted for this modelling exercise gives preference to a policy option that has actions in every policy area but focuses strongly on internal market, infrastructure development, pricing and taxation.

Particularly relevant for environmental protection is article 8 of the Guidelines for the development of the TEN-T. Article 8 establishes that Member States must carry out environmental impact assessments for all new infrastructure projects, especially those that include building new routes. Five years after the completion of a project, the member states must conduct another environmental assessment to determine the new infrastructure's impact on sustainable development.

Implementation process

The TEN-T proposal has a dual-layer planning approach. This approach consists of a basic layer (the comprehensive network) and an overlaying layer (the core network). The core network is considered the strategically most important part of the TEN-T. The comprehensive network is the reference for technological innovation and for promoting territorial cohesion. The core network covers the integration of all modes of transportation and strategies for sustainable, efficient and safe services.

Similarly, the White Paper "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area" calls for an efficient framework of transport users and providers, a better infrastructure and, particularly emphasised, the development of innovative technology as necessary elements for implementing the for improving transport sustainability.

Relevance to LEDD in cropland, grazing land and forests/shrubland

Although not explicitly addressed in the guidelines for TEN-T or in the White Paper described above, the environmental impact assessment must consider the indirect effects of transport policy on land. One main consideration is the unpredictability of how people will change the location of their activities once new transport infrastructure is provided. Although predictions can be made about how economic activities will change location, these are highly uncertain due to the number of different rationales, aspirations, value systems, etc. that play into people's decisions. Any shift in economic activity and its effect on socio-demographic structure and land use including water and soil resources can potentially contribute to land degradation.

Land can also be put at risk from decisions regarding new infrastructure that are made at the EU level and do not consider the particular situations of the rural regions affected. While it may be in the interest of the EU to improve accessibility to remote regions, this may have adverse local effects as 1) it may lead to new exploitation of their natural resources by outsiders, 2) it may incite the local population to abandon the area in search of other opportunities, or 3) neither of the previous two happens and the area remains underdeveloped. In areas of land degradation and desertification, any of the three scenarios can upset the delicate balance between the local environment and its human population. Decisions made above the Member State level, must therefore consider if new infrastructure in an area can stabilize its economy, retain its population, and help its society prosper.

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