WRITTEN QUESTION E-1241/01

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 April 2001)

Subject: Reducing private transport use in cities

The European Union is in favour of reducing the use of private transport in cities. In Madrid recently, the Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallström, and ministers from various EU Member States

launched the campaign for a European Car-Free Day on 22 September 2001, to which the European Commission will contribute 1 million. It is predicted that this year the event will have a larger impact, since so far two new countries, Holland and Hungary, have decided to join the initiative. It is also possible that countries outside the Union may be called on to take part.

Such initiatives are one part of the effort that the EU must make to combat the effects of climate change, but they are far from sufficient. In view of this, what other kinds of initiatives does the Commission intend to take to halt the deterioration of the environment towards which, at the moment, we seem to be on an almost irreversible course? Is the Commission planning other measures designed to promote a climate favourable to public transport or to other less polluting means of transport?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(21 June 2001)

The over-arching principle for action in this respect is that of integrating the environment into the sectoral policies with the aim of achieving sustainable development (Article 6 of the Amsterdam Treaty). In the transport sector, this process is being backed up by the joint Transport and Environment Expert Group which is jointly chaired by the two Directorates-General for Transport and Energy, and for Environment. The expert group has produced an analysis and recommendations for action in connection with the integration strategy of the Council (Transport). Its latest report is available on the Internet(1).

Concerning actions on modal shift towards public transport and other less damaging modes of transport, one has to distinguish between urban and inter-urban transport. With regard to the latter, the recent adoption of the railway package(2) should help to achieve the stated Commission goal of revitalising the railways. The Commission is at an advanced stage of preparing a White Paper on the Common Transport Policy in which further action in this area will be laid out. Concerning urban transport, further to the awareness-raising activities in connection with the Car-Free Day, the Commission's competences are limited by subsidiarity. Actions include the exchange of best practice on urban transport(3) and the financing of demonstration projects through the City-vitality-Sustainability (Civitas) initiative(4). The Commission's thinking on urban transport will be further developed through a forthcoming communication in the field of alternative fuels including a proposal for a directive establishing a requirement to use a certain percentage of bio-fuels and a forthcoming Communication on Clean Urban Transport that is foreseen for the end of 2001.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/trans/.

(2) OJ L 75, 15.3.2001.

(3) http://www.eltis.org/.

(4) http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/en/cut_en/cut_civitas_en.html.