The concept of sustainability includes not only environmental concerns but also economic and social considerations. While environmental issues are important they have to be balanced against competitiveness and social welfare. Above all, transport should be safe. Road safety levels remain unacceptable, with 42,000 killed on the EU's roads every year. It is of particular concern that the situation in the cohesion countries is worse than elsewhere.
Maritime safety is also capable of improvement.
Progress has been made in environmental protection, notably in air quality. Technical measures at European level are not a complete answer and local measures need to be taken to reduce urban emissions. New infrastructure can also help, as in the case of the Athens metro, which is expected to reduce car use substantially. To achieve such a shift was one of the aims of the 1992 White Paper. Despite significant growth in short sea shipping, however, the potential of environmentally-friendly modes of freight transport, such as inland waterways and rail, has yet to be realised.