The European Commission yesterday unveiled a plan which, if put into practice, will change the face of modern transport in the EU – from our daily use of cars to travelling by air and sea.
The plan is for the building of what is called a Single European Transport Area. It includes some 50 different proposals, to be introduced gradually from now until 2050, aimed at slashing Europe’s dependence on oil for transport and cutting carbon emissions by around 60 per cent on current levels.
Among the most important aspects of the new strategy for Malta may be a ban on all fossil-fuel dependent cars from cities by 2050. The Commission is suggesting a 50 per cent shift away from conventionally fuelled cars by 2030 to achieve “essentially CO₂-free movement in major urban centres”.
The strategy does not yet go into the fine details of what is to be considered a city but Commission sources yesterday said Malta could well be considered “one whole city” when considering the populations and sizes of the other member states. However, such a decision is still to be taken.
Unveiling the strategy yesterday, EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said “the widely held belief that you need to cut mobility to fight climate change is simply not true. Competitive transport systems are vital for Europe’s ability to compete in the world, for economic growth, job creation and for people’s everyday quality of life”.
According to the plans, the Commission intends to set up a fully integrated transport network which will lead to a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers and freight.
The document proposes that by 2050 the majority of medium-distance passenger journeys – those above 300 kilometres – should be by rail and more than half of road freight should move to rail or boat (30 per cent by 2030).
All core network airports should be connected to the rail network by 2050, with all core seaports sufficiently connected to rail freight and, where possible, an inland waterway system.
For longer-distance travel and intercontinental freight, air and sea travel will benefit from new engines and fuels and “traffic management systems will increase efficiency and reduce emissions”. Airlines and shipping lines will have to reduce carbon fuels by at least 50 per cent by the middle of the century.
The strategy will now be discussed by member states, with the first legislative proposals expected next year.
Another important goal is that by 2050 Europe should “move close to zero fatalities in road transport, with an interim target of halving all road casualties by 2020”.
Transport by numbers
• The transport industry directly employs more than 10 million people in the EU, accounting for 4.5 per cent of total employment and representing 4.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
• 13.2 per cent of every household’s budget is spent on average on transport goods and services.
• Europe has the world’s largest shipping fleet, directly employing some 300,000 seafarers on board merchant vessels and another three million in related jobs. More than 80,000 merchant ships call at European ports every year.
• EU airports and airlines currently employ 670,000 people, while some 3.2 million people depend directly or indirectly on the air transport sector.
• Europe imports around 84 per cent of its crude oil from abroad. In 2010, the EU’s oil import bill was around €210 billion.
• Transport is responsible for about a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• One bus could carry the same number of people as 30 cars, while only occupying the road space of three cars.
• Cars are the most popular passenger mode across the EU: they represent some 72 per cent of all passenger kilometres.
• Congestion costs Europe about one per cent of GDP every year.