Transport policies

Workshop on Integration of Environment and Sustainable Development in Transport Policies in Europe, Brussels, 29 January 1999

At the workshop on transport and infrastructure during the 6th Annual Conference in Tuusula it was decided that the European Environmental Advisory Councils should cooperate and develop a common view in the field of transport policy. A follow-up workshop was prepared by the Royal Commission for Environmental Pollution and hosted by the MiNa-Raad in Brussels.

Several Councils participated in the meeting to take forward the conclusions of the transport workshop which was part of the Sixth Annual Conference of European Environmental Advisory Councils in Finland in September 1998, within the general conference theme of environmental policy integration and implementation. The report on the integration of environmental considerations into transport policies, presented to the Vienna European Council in December 1998 by the EU Transport Ministers was discussed in the light of the conclusions of Tuusula. It was considered whether EEAC should take further steps to develop a common view on the integration of environmental considerations into transport policies.

Conclusions of the transport workshop in Tuusula 1998

Report of the EU Transport Ministers
Summary

Participants

Expressions of interest had also been received from The Netherlands Council for the Rural Area (RLG) and the Danish Nature Council, although it was not possible for them to be represented at this meeting.

Summary

1. The agenda circulated prior to the meeting was approved.

2.  No amendments had been suggested to the Conclusions of the Transport Workshop which formed part of the conference of European Environmental Advisory Councils held at Helsinki in September 1998. It was agreed that these should form the basis for further cooperation.

3.  A copy of the Report from the Transport Council to the Vienna Council on integrating the environment and sustainable development into the transport policy of the Community had been circulated prior to the meeting . It was noted that this report was of a rather preliminary kind, and that a further report had been requested by the end of 1999. There may therefore be an opportunity for European Environmental Advisory Councils to have some influence on the further development of thinking on this front.

4.  In Agenda 2000 the European Commission is seeking an increase in funding for Trans-European Networks from 1.8 billion Euro to 5 billion Euro. Revised guidelines will be published in June/July 1999 with the aim of obtaining better value for money by targeting improvements on elements of existing systems, such as nodes. In order to prepare a handbook for assessing projects at network or corridor level, the European Commission is financing pilot studies, scheduled to take 10–12 months, in Austria, France, Italy, Sweden and the UK. Concern was expressed that subsidies will lead to over-investment in infrastructure, including railway projects. Critical assessments might show that such projects either do not contribute to social goals or are more costly than alternative measures for contributing to social goals.

5.  As a first step to exploring the potential for further cooperation on this subject, those present summarized the extent to which their councils are, or have recently been, involved in considering transport issues:

There was general agreement that effective integration of environmental considerations into transport policies would require satisfactory arrangements for environmental assessment and the setting of goals for the short, medium and long term. It would also require transparency and openness in the policy process. There had been no environmental input to the European Commission's June 1998 White Paper or to the high-level group the Commission had established on fair and efficient pricing.

Discussion then focused on selection of indicators to measure the sustainability of transport systems, as the Transport Council had invited the European Commission to prepare a selection of such indicators. Relevant work nationally on indicators was summarized:

There was also some discussion of the two-way relationship between transport policies and spatial planning. Spatial planning policies can have only a limited effect if they are working in the opposite direction to the pricing of transport.

It was agreed that cooperation between European environmental advisory councils should be able to contribute to integrating environmental considerations into transport policies, and should focus on three areas:

  1. production of a summary document of indicators of the sustainability of transport systems
  2. pooling knowledge and experience on assessment of infrastructure proposals, at both strategic and project levels
  3. identifying ways in which transport policy processes at European level can be made more open and giving guidance to environmental advisory councils about how they can contribute most effectively to those processes.

A further meeting would be arranged during March to take these tasks forward.

6.  A further promising area for cooperation would be the pricing of transport systems. This will be given further consideration when more information is available about the nature and timetables of proposals from the European Commission.

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, March 1999

 

Transport and Environmental Degradation

Introduction

The German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the United Kingdom wish to emphasize (to the European Commission) the importance of the environmental problems associated with transport and the need for early action to resolve those problems.

A central topic in the 1994 Environmental Report of the German Council of Environmental Advisors, Sustainable Development, which has been submitted to the federal government, is "Traffic and Environment – Elements and Chances of a Sustainable Mobility". Starting from an analysis of the present situation, key points requiring action are identified and consideration given to the choice of the most appropriate policy instruments for reducing the environmental impact of traffic. The discussion covers the technical potential for reduction, environmental legislation, economic incentives, and also changes in infrastructure and organization. Recommendations are made for actions to increase the price of transport in recognition of the finite nature of natural resources on one side and the finite capacity of transport infrastructure on the other side.

In October 1994 the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution published a report on "Transport and the Environment". This analyses recent trends and their consequences for health and the environment. It discusses alternative perspectives on transport policy, the economic costs and benefits of transport, the potential of improvements in road vehicle technology and performance, and the interaction between transport and land use planning. The report puts forward, in the form of objectives and targets, the components for a sustainable transport policy, and recommends a number of measures which will help to achieve the targets.

The German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission have identified important common elements in their analyses of the problematic nature of the present situation and in their recommendations for action. In some cases these appropriately relate to the European Union as well as the national level, and they wish to draw them to the attention of the European Union. They have therefore prepared a joint statement on transport and environmental degradation which is enclosed for your consideration.

 

Transport and Environmental Degradation

Joint Statement by the German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

The German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the UK have been watching with increasing concern the environmental degradation caused by passenger and goods transport. As a result of rising incomes in the European Union and the opening up of Eastern European countries, movements of people and goods have greatly increased. This has contributed to higher standards of living and enriched people's lives. The increase in road traffic resulting from greater mobility has led, however, to forms of environmental damage which are becoming less and less reconcilable with the principles of long term environmentally appropriate development. Emissions from internal combustion engines are endangering people's health and the environment, including the climate. Governments must now create a new framework which will make it possible to combine the benefits of an effective transport system for people and goods with protection of the environment and human health. This will require comprehensive new strategies.

There are certain points which both the German Council and the Royal Commission have identified as requiring early action at the level of the European Union. It is important to accelerate implementation of the Euro-III emission limits. It is also important to stimulate the introduction of other means of reducing emissions, especially as concerns climate effects, photochemical smog and carcinogens. In attempting to reduce the environmental damage caused by road traffic, environmental policy can no longer rely solely upon legislating for technical changes in vehicles. It takes a considerable time for vehicles conforming to a new standard to replace enough of the vehicles now on the road to produce a noticeable reduction in emissions. Moreover, the reductions brought about by imposing more stringent limits will be partly offset if the volume of traffic increases. Environmental policy must, therefore, also seek to reduce emissions by modifying human behavior.

The most effective way of bringing about modifications in human behavior is to provide financial incentives and disincentives. The German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, therefore, call for financial incentives to be used to achieve environmental objectives and bring about a closer correspondence between the costs and benefits of transport.

Electronic systems have considerable potential as a way of applying financial incentives by collecting appropriate charges from road users. They have the advantage that the rates of charge can readily be adjusted to reflect differences in the scale of the costs imposed by road users in different places and at different times. The widespread introduction of electronic systems will not occur unless common technical standards are established by the European Union to cover the design and operation of the equipment installed at the roadside and in vehicles. The German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, therefore, call on national governments and the European Commission to give high priority to the development and implementation of such standards.

Pending completion of that task, incentives for reducing emissions should be provided primarily by increasing the tax on mineral oil. This instrument is well suited for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from road vehicles, and would also help elasticity of transport demand, there will have to be a large increase in the mineral-oil tax over time in order to produce a noticeable effect. The German Council of Environmental Advisors and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution consider an increase in fuel prices of 100% in real terms by the year 2005 to be appropriate and necessary, and they call on the European Commission and national governments to amend Council Directive 92/82/EEC in order to ensure that this increase is put into effect on a phased basis throughout the European Union.

Copyright © 2000-2004 by European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils, Den Haag. All Rights Reserved.