Response to Commission report on Common Transport Policy: Future perspectives

This report is a response to this invitation for comment as published at the end of theCommunication. In order to coherently respond to this request it is necessary to brieflyoverview the development of transport policy in the EU as well as recent developments to the EU legislative framework. This will provide the necessary context and background forcomments to be made on the CTP.

This report therefore commences with a short outline of the background to the CTP. This is followed by an evaluation of the environmental effect of European transport, the CTP and theAction Programme since 1995. The Communication reviewing the Action Programme implementing the CTP is then reviewed. The new legal framework within which the CTP willhave to develop is then outlined. This is followed by a short exploration of the conflictingaims that emerge from different Community objectives as well as how these objectives maybe balanced and conflicts resolved.

The report concludes with a review of the future development of the CTP and therecommendations and conclusions of T&E.