Commission's long-term Transport Priorities

Publication date: 28 July 2004

François Lamoureux, head of the Commission's Directorate General for Transport, spoke today to the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) which met for the first time. He briefed MEPs on the Commission's possible future priorities (it will be up to the next European Commission to set the agenda) on transport for the next five years.

Lamoureux highlighted five priority areas:
1. Reinforcing safety and security for all modes of transport: this includes further work on the European satellite navigation system, Galileo, and on road safety
2. Financing and funding of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TENTs): especially the Eurovignette directive and raising financing from the private sector
3. Sustainable development: this is to be achieved through charging infrastructures' users, modal shift, promoting clean vehicles and possibly taxing kerosene on intra-EU flights
4. Improving passengers' rights
5. Developing an external relations policy in the field of transport