Commission presents White Paper on future transport policy

The Commission presented on Wednesday 12 September its White Paper on the future common transport policy. The 130-page document proposes 60 measures to overhaul the current transport policy in order to make it more sustainable and avoid huge economic losses due to congestion, pollution and accidents.

The main objectives of the Commission’s proposed White Paper on transport are:

• shifting the balance between modes of transport by 2010 by revitalising railways and promoting maritime and inland waterway transport;
• having taxation systems reflect the true costs of transport, including external costs such as environmental damage, congestion, or human accidents;
• making transport systems more efficient and safer.

Some of the 60 measures mentioned in the White paper include:

• reinforcing passengers rights (e.g. with airline overbooking);
• improving road safety (objective: halve the number of road deaths by 2010);
• preventing congestions by promoting intermodality (through a new programme ‘Marco Polo’);
• harmonising taxation of fuel for professional road transport;
• carrying out new infrastructure work in the context of trans-European networks;
• managing globalisation by raising the EU’s profile in international organisations such as the IMO.

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Chirac advocates "pioneer group" in foreign and security policy area

At the annual meeting of France's ambassadors on 27 August, French President Jacques Chirac advocated the set-up of a "pioneer group" of states within the EU, who would seek to achieve greater integration among themselves. Chirac believes that this vanguard should enhance co-operation particularly in the field of foreign and security policy.