• Safe and sustainable freight transport: Our common challenge

    Freight transport, mainly road freight, has grown at a persistently high rate over the last thirty years. As a result, the current situation is not sustainable for the environment, society or economy.

    The following measures must be taken over the course of the coming years if a sustainable goods transport system is to be attained:

    • Introduce a fair and efficient pricing system for all transport users, and particularly a kilometre charge for road haulage
    • Implement liberalisation in rail freight transport by guaranteeing non-discriminatory access to rail infrastructure
    • Create an interoperable rail network
    • Develop rail freight services into a reliable, customer-oriented alternative to road haulage
    • Promote infrastructure projects for environmentally less damaging transport modes as well as projects which serve intermodality and interoperability
    • Consistently apply integrated assessment methods to evaluate the economic, environmental and social conse- quences of proposed infrastructure projects, before they are started
    • Improve and harmonise social, environmental and safety regulations across the different transport modes to encourage a level playing field between transport modes; as well as to protect transport users, broader society and the environment.