Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - Greening Transport {SEC(2008) 2206}
Date: 2008-07-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: air quality, climate change, ecology, environmental protection, noise pollution, transport policy

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 8.7.2008 
COM(2008) 433 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

Greening Transport 

{SEC(2008) 2206} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

Greening Transport 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Mobility is key to our quality of life and is vital for the EU’s competitiveness. It is 
the  backbone  of  the  economy  making  the  links  between  the  different  stages  of 
production  chains  and  allowing  service  industries  to  reach  their  clients,  as  well  as 
being a significant employer in its own right. As such it is key to achieving the goals 
of  the  EU’s  ‘Lisbon’  strategy  for  growth  and  employment.  This  is  all  the  more  so 
given  that  the  sector  is  growing  rapidly:  between  1995  and  2005,  goods  and 
passenger transport in the EU grew by 31.3% and 17.7% respectively and this growth 
is predicted to continue. 

But  mobility  also  imposes  costs  on  society  due  to  the  impacts  it  causes.  Transport 
emissions threaten our health, negatively affect our local environmental quality and 
make a significant and growing contribution to climate change. CO2 emissions from 
the  road  sector  are  30%  higher  than  in  1990  and  transport  is  the  only  sector  of  the 
economy  where  emissions  are  predicted  to  increase  in  the  future.  Noise  and  traffic 
jams are an everyday annoyance for many citizens, and transport accidents kill many 
people each year. 

“Sustainable  mobility”,  that  is  disconnecting  mobility  from  its  harmful  effects,  has 
been at the heart of the EU’s Transport Policy for several years. In its 2006 review1 
of the 2001 White Paper, the Commission pointed to the need to use a broad range of 
policy  tools,  ranging  from  economic  instruments  and  regulatory  measures  to 
infrastructure  investment  and  new  technologies  in  order  to  achieve  sustainable 
mobility. 

“Getting  the  prices  right”  is  essential.  Transport  users  already  pay  a  significant 
amount,  but  the  price  they  pay  often  bears  little  connection  to  the  real  costs  on 
society of their choices. They have thus no incentive to adopt less costly behaviour. 
By  making  payments  smarter2,  economic  instruments  (taxes,  charges  or  emission 
trading  schemes)  can  encourage  transport  users  to  switch  to  cleaner  vehicles  or 
modes  (including  walking  and  cycling),  to  use  less  congested  infrastructure  or  to 
travel  at  different  times.  As  such  they  represent  an  effective  way  to  make  mobility 
sustainable. 

Price  signals  will  be  even  more  effective  if  the  market  offers  realistic  alternatives, 
cleaner vehicles at an affordable price, or an appropriate level of service in another 

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COM(2006) 314. 
For example, for congestion charging, allowing this to reflect the location and time of day. 

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mode of transport. These alternatives may not always exist, in particular where there 
is  underinvestment  in  infrastructure  and  in  research  and  development  because  of 
markets failures. As a result other, complementary, policy measures are also needed, 
including regulation. These measures should neither lock-in nor favour one particular 
technological approach or solution. 

The  Commission  is  therefore  putting  forward  two  different  types  of  initiatives  to 
redouble its efforts to make transport greener and more sustainable. The first type is 
to “get the prices right” through internalising the external costs of transport. Here the 
Commission’s  strategy  is  to  act  in  a  way  that  is  tailor-made  to  each  impact  and 
transport mode, taking into account the fact that the EU has already started work in 
this area. As such the EU rules on energy taxation and the Commission’s proposals 
to include the aviation sector in the EU’s Emissions Trading System are significant 
first  steps  in  the  strategy.  The  second  type  is  a  set  of  complementary  measures 
comprising  regulatory  instruments,  infrastructure  measures  and  research  and 
development measures. Here too there are many EU measures on which efforts can 
build. 

This Communication begins by summarising the existing and proposed EU measures 
in  the  field  of  sustainable  transport.  These  measures  are  and  will  continue  to  be 
complementary  to  action  taken  by  Member  States,  which  are  a  vital  element  in 
achieving sustainable mobility. Next it describes the two accompanying initiatives on 
internalising the external costs of transport — an overall strategy and a proposal to 
revise  the  directive  on  heavy  goods  vehicle  charging  for  infrastructure  use.  Finally 
the  communication  describes  a  further  accompanying  communication  on  reducing 
rail noise and  sets  out  the complementary initiatives that the Commission will take 
over the coming months.  

All  these  initiatives  are  particularly  important  given  the  current  political  context. 
Both  the  European  Parliament3  and  European  Council4  have  recently  stressed  the 
importance of a sustainable transport policy, particularly in the context of combating 
climate change. Transport will clearly have to contribute to the ambitious goals that 
the European Council set itself in 2007: reducing greenhouse gases by 20% (30% in 
the framework of an international agreement), increasing the use of renewable energy 
sources to 20% and reducing energy consumption by 20%, all by 2020. 

2. 

BUILDING ON WHAT EXISTS… 

The  accompanying  Greening  Transport  Inventory  shows  that  the  EU  has  already 
done  a  lot  in  all  transport  modes  and  many  different  policy  areas  ranging  from 
research and development to energy policy and from transport to environment policy. 
As ever their implementation is key to their effectiveness. The measures are grouped 
according  to  their  major  negative  impact,  namely  climate  change,  local  pollution, 
noise  pollution,  congestion  and  accidents.  A  summary  of  the  initiatives  addressing 
each impact is given below. 

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Resolution of 11.3.2008 on sustainable European transport policy, taking into account European energy 
and environment policies — Rapporteur: Mr Albertini. 
March 2008 European Council. 

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2.1. 

Climate change 

Climate change is now the priority environmental problem with the most significant 
EU  measures  having  recently  been  proposed  by  the  Commission  and  awaiting 
agreement between the Council and European Parliament. These include measures to 
limit CO2 emissions from new cars, to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading 
System  (ETS),  to  apply  differentiated  annual  circulation  and  registration  taxes  for 
cars  based  on  their  CO2  emissions  and  to  ensure  that  all  means  of  transport  not 
covered by the ETS contribute to achieving national targets for limiting greenhouse 
gas emissions.  

Member States should meet objectives for increasing the share of renewable energy 
used in road transport and the Commission recently proposed making a 10% target 
binding.  The  Commission  has  also  proposed  that  fuel  suppliers  reduce  greenhouse 
gas emissions from  fuel  across its life-cycle by 10% by 2020. For motor fuels, EU 
rules  set  minimum  tax  levels;  nevertheless  most  aviation  and  maritime  uses  are 
exempt,  although  Member  States  can  limit  these  exemptions  to  international 
transport.  

In addition, there are particular EU requirements for some road vehicles concerning 
equipment  such  as  air-conditioning  systems.  The  Commission  is  developing 
initiatives  on  gear-shift  indicators  and  recently  proposed  a  framework  for  tyre 
pressure monitoring systems. 

2.2. 

Local pollution 

As far as tackling local pollution is concerned the EU has already achieved a great 
deal, but there remains a significant amount of work still to do. Measures to limit air 
pollution  have  been  developed  in  the  framework  of  the  Single  Market  and  vary 
considerably  between  the  means  of  transport  but  are  focused  on  limiting  emissions 
from new vehicles (the “EURO” standards), vessels or recreational craft. There are 
also maximum levels of certain pollutants in fuels, such as sulphur in marine fuel and 
lead in petrol, and rules to reduce emissions during fuel storage and distribution.  

For waterborne transport there are requirements to limit water pollution. All transport 
modes are covered by general legislation on where and how waste can be disposed of 
and  there  are  specific  requirements  for  some  types  of  road  vehicles  and  their 
components (e.g. tyres, batteries).  

In  terms  of  vehicle  procurement  the  Commission  has  recently  proposed5  that  all 
public  purchases  of  cars,  vans,  buses  and  lorries  use  a  methodology  that  takes  into 
account  the  energy  consumption,  CO2  and  pollutant  emissions  costs  during  the 
vehicle’s  use  over  its  lifetime.  Most  new  transport  infrastructure  projects  are  also 
subject  to  rules  on  environmental  assessment  and  some  also  to  the  rules  on  nature 
protection.  

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COM(2007) 817. 

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2.3. 

Noise pollution 

EU measures to limit noise pollution have focused on providing a general framework 
for assessing noise and for limiting noise emissions from all new, motorised, inland 
transport  modes  in  the  framework  of  the  Single  Market.6  Limits  also  exist  for 
aircraft,  and  more  stringent  restrictions  can  be  put  in  place  at  certain  EU  airports. 
Airports,  large  towns  (including  their  ports),  heavily-used  railways  and  roads  must 
also  be  mapped  for  noise  and  action  must  be  taken  to  reduce  it  where  necessary. 
There  are  also  limits  for  tyre  noise  which  come  into  force  in  2009  for  replacement 
tyres.  

2.4. 

Congestion 

EU  measures  have  helped  finance  increased  and  alternative  infrastructure  capacity 
and  EU  policy  has  aimed  to  move  transport  away  from  the  most  congested  modes, 
while at the same time developing common charging frameworks. There are existing 
measures for charging heavy-goods vehicles for infrastructure use and also specific 
requirements  for  rail  infrastructure.  In  addition,  the  Commission  recently  made  a 
proposal on airport charging. Rail, inland waterways and maritime transport receive 
most  funding  for  infrastructure  provision  under  the  Trans-European  Networks  and 
the Marco Polo programme, mainly in order to encourage a shift from road transport. 
There  are  measures  in  the  air  and  rail  sectors  that  aim  to  increase  infrastructure 
efficiency,  and  work  on  technological  improvements  in  the  road  sector  is  ongoing. 
All  sectors  will  benefit  from  the  possibilities  that  Galileo  will  offer  for  fleet 
management,  optimising  transport  routes  to  avoid  congestion  and  preventing 
accidents.  

2.5. 

Accidents 

Safety has been one of the key parts of EU transport policy since its very beginning. 
There  are  many  different  EU  safety  requirements  for new  road vehicles, as well as 
requirements for obtaining driving licences, limiting the speed of buses and coaches, 
and  ensuring  the  roadworthiness  of  vehicles  and  the  infrastructure  itself.  There  are 
also a variety of safety measures in the rail and inland waterways sectors, addressing 
both  the  rolling  stock  and  vessels,  while  in  the  rail  sector  infrastructure  and 
organisations  are  considered.  In  the  maritime  sector  there  are  many  measures  to 
increase  safety,  prevent  accidents  involving  ships,  passengers  and  crew  and  reduce 
the environmental impacts of accidents; these are all backed up by inspections. In the 
aviation  sector  safety  measures  include  the  aircraft’s  design  and  maintenance,  use 
and personnel licensing. The aviation, rail and maritime sectors have requirements on 
accident investigation and reporting. 

3. 

GETTING THE PRICES RIGHT … 

Capitalising  on  the  existing  policy  instruments  is  crucial  to  making  transport  more 
sustainable  and  addressing  the  five  different  negative  impacts  of  transport.  As 
mentioned  above,  getting  prices  right  is  one  significant  way  of  doing  this  and  is 
central to the Commission’s approach. The Commission is therefore presenting two 

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Including, for example, the technical specifications for interoperability in the rail sector. 

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initiatives  along  with  this  communication  that  aim  to  do  this:  a  communication  on 
internalising  the  external  costs  of  transport;  and  a  proposal  to  revise  the  existing 
directive on infrastructure charging for heavy goods vehicles. 

3.1. 

Internalising the external costs of transport  

This  communication  and  its  annexes  contain  two  elements.  The  first  is  a  common 
framework  for  estimating  the  external  costs  of  transport.  This  is  based  upon  the 
results  of  Commission-financed  work 
to  review  best  practices,  suggest  a 
methodology and produce a handbook containing reference values that can be used 
for external costs. The communication provides guidance on how to use these values 
for external costs.  

The  second  element  of  the  communication  is  a  strategy  that  sets  out  how  external 
costs  can  be  internalised  in  all  modes  of  transport.  In  so  doing  it  meets  the 
requirement  of  the  directive  on  heavy  goods  vehicles  charging.7  The  strategy  takes 
into account that for some impacts — such as noise and congestion — the costs that 
transport users impose on society vary in space, time and depending on the mode in 
question, while for others, such as greenhouse gas emissions, this is not the case. As 
a result the strategy is both mode and impact-specific. 

Over  the  years  the  Commission  has  consistently  stressed  the  importance  of  using 
economic instruments to achieve its policy  goals. Within this framework,  efforts to 
internalise  the  external  costs  of  transport  were  a  key  part  of  the  2001  Transport 
White  Paper  and  its  2006  Mid-Term  Review.  The  EU  has  already  started  to 
internalise  these  external  costs  through  the  aforementioned  rules  on  motor  fuel 
taxation, as well as with the Commission's proposals to include the aviation sector in 
the  EU’s  ETS  and  to  incorporate  a  CO2  component  in  registration  and  annual 
circulation taxes for cars. This strategy builds on these initiatives.  

In the road sector the strategy launches immediate action to allow more effective and 
efficient internalisation with the proposal on infrastructure charging for heavy goods 
vehicles (see section 3.2). Private transport is not covered because of subsidiarity, but 
the Commission encourages Member States to implement a charging system for all 
road transport and not just heavy goods vehicles as this would create incentives for 
all  road  users  to  change  their  behaviour,  thereby  increasing  the  significant  positive 
impacts.  

In  the  rail  sector  the  proposal  on  internalisation  for  heavy  goods  vehicles  will  also 
have  a  positive  impact  by  giving  further  opportunities  to  internalise  in  the  sector, 
provided that other modes also internalise. 

The strategy also sets out subsequent steps in other modes. For inland waterways it 
announces  the  internalisation  of  all  external  costs  in  the  sector,  and,  for  maritime, 
where internalisation has yet to begin, it commits the Commission to acting in 2009 
if the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has not agreed concrete measures 
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by then, something the EU is actively working 
towards.  Commission  action  may  include  integrating  the  sector  into  the  EU’s  ETS. 

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Directive 2006/38/EC amending Directive 1999/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the 
use of certain infrastructures. 

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For maritime transport, the strategy will be developed in line with the new European 
Integrated Maritime Policy.8  

At the same time the strategy announces a cross-cutting internalisation measure for 
later  in  2008:  the  revision  of  the  Energy  Taxation  Directive.  This  will  ensure  that 
energy taxation better complements the EU ETS and better reflects the EU’s climate 
change, energy and air quality goals. 

The strategy will be evaluated in 2013. 

3.2. 

Road charging  

Road transport accounts for the majority of external costs from transport so getting 
the prices right in this area is particularly urgent. Revising the heavy goods vehicles 
charging directive to encourage Member States to implement differentiated charging 
systems will improve the efficiency and environmental performance of road freight 
transport, something that is particularly important given its significant contribution to 
traffic and emissions. 

At  present  the  directive  effectively  stops  Member  States  from  making  the  most 
effective  use  of  their  tolling  systems  or  the  systems  they  are  developing.  Charges 
cannot currently be calculated and varied on the basis of external costs. This means 
that  Member  States  cannot  put  in  place  sufficient  incentives  for  operators  to 
modernise  their  fleet  with  cleaner  vehicles  and  to  adapt  their  route  planning  and 
logistics to make them more sustainable. 

The proposal would change this by giving Member States a framework to better vary 
charges9  according  to  the  local  pollution  (air  and  noise)10  and  congestion  that  the 
particular  vehicle  causes  at  the  time  it  is  used.  By  reducing  congestion  it  will  also 
contribute significantly to reducing CO2 emissions.  

To  ensure  that  the  tolls  are  both  proportionate  to  the  actual  environmental  damage 
and  congestion  caused  and  that  the  internal  market  continues  to  work  properly  the 
Commission  is  proposing  that  a  common  and  transparent  method  is  used  for 
calculating external costs. The directive would also insist that any revenues from the 
scheme  are  earmarked  for  reducing  the  environmental  impacts  of  transport  and 
congestion11  and  that,  after  a  transition  period,  charges  are  levied  using  electronic 
systems. 

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COM  (2007)  575.  This  policy  includes  several  proposals  improving  the  sustainability  (greening)  of 
maritime  transport.  For  more  details  see  section  4  of  the  Greening  Transport  Inventory  Commission 
Staff Working Document SEC (2008) 2206. 
As long as only infrastructure costs are recovered and subject to a number of conditions, which include 
that no additional revenue is generated, the existing directive allows limited differentiation of tolls.  
Costs for CO2 will be tackled through fuel taxes as part of an envisaged review of the Energy Taxation 
Directive. 
For example, alternative infrastructure, traffic management and research. 

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4. 

TAKING COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES 

As  stated  above,  both  action  to  get  the  prices  right  and  complementary  action  are 
needed to tackle the negative effects of transport. This is all the more so because, as 
the strategy part of the Communication on internalisation underlines, prices for some 
products and services, such as transport, may not lead to a change in behaviour (i.e. 
demand  is  rather  inelastic).  As  a  result  complementary  measures  are  essential.  The 
Commission  is  therefore  presenting,  at  the  same  time  as  this  communication,  a 
further communication to reduce rail noise from existing wagons and will, over the 
next 18 months, take additional steps focused on different modes and impacts. These 
are outlined below. 

4.1. 

Reducing rail noise 

Estimates show that 10% of the EU’s population is exposed to high rail noise levels 
and  they  are  one  of  the  main  factors  limiting  the  further  growth  of  the  sector. 
Reducing  noise  will  have  a  positive  effect  not  just  of  itself,  but  also  in  terms  of 
making the development of rail transport and infrastructure more publicly acceptable. 
If, as a result, rail infrastructure can be more easily expanded and more flexibly used, 
this  in  turn  should  help  shift  passengers  and  freight  away  from  road  transport  and 
onto rail thereby reducing the overall societal impacts of the transport sector. 

Given  that  EU  rules  already  limit  the  noise  emissions  from  new  rolling  stock,  this 
communication  focuses  on  existing  wagons  and  sets  out  measures  to  equip  the 
majority  of  them  with  low-noise  brakes.  The  strategy  combines  noise  emissions 
ceilings, voluntary commitments and legislation setting financial incentives. 

The Commission will propose the legislation in 2008 to ensure that, by adapting the 
existing  rules  on  track  access  charging,  charging  schemes  are  harmonised  across 
Europe. Quieter wagons will be charged less than noisier ones to allow payback of 
the necessary investment. Fitting with low noise brakes should be finished in 2015. 
After  retrofitting,  higher  charges  should  be  introduced  for  the  remaining  noisy 
wagons with Member States introducing noise emissions ceilings to cap the overall 
amount of noise on a particular stretch of track — and hence provide an incentive to 
use lower noise wagons — if they so wish. 

To  speed  up 
commitments to pass on price signals to wagon owners before the legal deadlines. 

the  Commission  also  encourages  voluntary 

implementation, 

4.2.  Measures that will be taken in the next 18 months 

4.2.1.  Climate change 

As  climate  change  is  probably  the  number  one  challenge  for  the  EU  and  for 
transport,  the  Commission  will  come  forward  with  measures  that  go  beyond  those 
mentioned  above  for  internalising  external  costs.  For  aviation,  it  will  propose 
legislation  on  emissions  of  nitrogen  oxides  (NOx)  from  aviation,  while  in  the  road 
sector,  the  Commission  will,  by  the  end  of  2008,  propose  reducing  the  CO2 
emissions  from  new  vans,  a  system  for  tyre  labelling  and  revising  the  existing  car 
labelling directive.  

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4.2.2.  Local pollution 

Many  EU  measures  already  exist  to  tackle  local  and  regional  pollution,  so  new 
initiatives concentrate on strengthening and complementing them.  

Given the contribution that volatile organic compounds make to smog, limiting their 
emission during the refuelling of passenger cars at petrol stations is important. The 
Commission  will  therefore  propose  legislation  to  achieve  this.  The  aforementioned 
NOx from aviation proposal should also contribute to reducing local air pollution. 

Further  reducing  the  sulphur  content  of  liquid  fuels  has  been  identified  as  being  a 
cost effective way to reduce air pollutant emissions. To achieve this the Commission 
will  come  forward  with  a  proposal  in  2009  which  will  take  into  account  the 
significant recent progress on the issue in the IMO and which will include maritime 
transport fuels. 

4.2.3.  Noise 

Given  the  growing  nuisance  noise  causes,  its  impact  on  health12  and  the  effect  this 
has  on  limiting  transport  infrastructure  improvements,  the  Commission  considers  it 
very  important  to  continue  its  efforts  to  reduce  noise  emissions  from  transport.  In 
addition  to  the  legislative  proposal  on  rail  noise  (see  section  4.1)  the  Commission 
may take further action to limit noise at EU airports by revising the existing directive 
on aircraft noise. In 2009, the Commission will also propose revising the directive on 
environmental noise. 

4.2.4.  Congestion 

With  road  congestion  estimated  to  cost  around  1.1%  of  EU  GDP  per  year,  the 
Commission considers tackling it a priority. Internalisation of external costs through 
smart road charging systems will be the key way to do this and the proposal to revise 
the directive on infrastructure charging for heavy goods vehicles will be the main EU 
instrument in the road sector. This will be accompanied by the Commission making 
funding  available  under  the  Trans-European  Network  programme  for  actions  on 
electronic toll systems, where tolling systems have been implemented together by at 
least two Member States. The Commission will also clarify to what extent and under 
which conditions interoperable on-board tolling equipment may be included. 

In the aviation sector the recent Single Sky Package aims to increase the capacity of 
European airspace three-fold while reducing air emissions per flight by up to 10%. 

4.2.5.  Cross-cutting measures 

The Commission will also come forward with actions that will have positive effects 
on  several  negative  impacts,  especially  in  the  rail  and  inland  waterways  sectors, 
which  offer  an  alternative  to  road  transport.  For  rail,  the  Commission  will  adopt  a 
legislative proposal on rail freight and one revising the directive on rail infrastructure 
charging (which will incorporate the changes mentioned in section 4.1).  

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See, for example on airport noise, COM(2008) 66. 

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The action plan on urban mobility will consider all five negative impacts and propose 
actions  with  a  clear  EU  added  value  while  respecting  the  subsidiarity  principle.  It 
will differentiate between actions that can be taken in the short term, and those that 
can be taken over the medium to long term. 

The  Green  Paper  on  the  Trans-European  Transport  Networks  will  review  existing 
policy, draw lessons, and consider how best to take this policy forward in the years to 
come.  This  will  include  reinforcing  the  networks’  sustainable  development 
dimension and considering how they can best contribute to tackling climate change. 

The  action  plan  on  Intelligent  Transport  Systems  for  Road,  which  will  be 
accompanied  by  a  legislative  initiative,  will  set  out  a  common  approach  to  get 
existing technologies onto the market and used. It should help identify a set of core 
Europe-wide ITS applications, work out their business case, organise the necessary 
research  and  validation,  and  manage  their  implementation  across  Europe  by  road 
operators, industry, service providers and road users. These technologies will help to 
reduce congestion, while increasing safety and fuel efficiency by allowing shippers 
and the travelling public to plan their journeys to avoid traffic jams and by allowing 
governmental authorities to direct traffic away from areas where it would contribute 
significantly  to  local  air  pollution.  In  addition,  using  existing  infrastructure  more 
efficiently  will  mean  that  less  new  infrastructure  will  be  needed,  avoiding  habitat 
fragmentation and soil sealing. Making use of future Galileo applications will also be 
part of this plan. 

5. 

CONCLUSION 

Achieving sustainable mobility requires efforts from all stakeholders and not just the 
Commission. While the three new initiatives accompanying this communication (the 
communications on internalising the external costs of transport and on reducing rail 
noise,  as  well  as  the  proposal  to  revise  the  directive  on  infrastructure  charging  for 
heavy  goods  vehicles)  and  the  other  measures  set  out  within  it  are  a  further 
contribution from the Commission to meeting the challenge, concerted action by all 
stakeholders is needed to increase their effectiveness. 

The three new measures accompanying this communication build on the large body 
of  existing  initiatives  set  out  in  the  accompanying  inventory  in  order  to  make 
progress  in  the  short  to  medium  term;  however,  the  Commission  is  also  looking  to 
the  longer  term.  In  2009,  it  will  present  a  report  on  long-term  scenarios  for  the 
development of transport policy over the next 20-40 years and it will begin internal 
reflections on the follow-up to the current transport White Paper, which will come to 
end in 2010. It is clear that, when developing any future policy a number of issues 
will  have  to  be  followed  closely,  including  responding  to  any  agreed  post-2012 
follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol and exploiting the numerous possibilities offered by 
Galileo. 

The  Commission  invites  the  European  Parliament  and  Council  to  endorse  this 
approach. 

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