EU Wants to Make Freight Smoother, Greener
Date: 19-Oct-07
Country: BELGIUM
The European Commission laid out a set of proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of freight while cutting costs and improving services across several different transport modes.
It called for a European rail network that would prioritise freight as well as measures to prepare ports for increasing demand and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot told a news conference he favoured creating a single maritime area within the 27-nation bloc, which would do away with repetitive customs checks at ports.
Satellite technologies would help track shipping to ensure vessels do not leave EU waters before checking in at another European port, making it easier to skip customs controls.
"Thanks to these positioning technologies we can monitor boats and we can do that very efficiently," he said.
He also said paperwork should be reduced so goods can move more freely and called for streamlining of rules in different countries about the length and weight of trains that are allowed to pass through national borders.
The volume of goods transported in Europe is expected to increase by 50 percent between 2000 and 2020, the Commission said, highlighting the need to reduce congestion and tackle emissions blamed for contributing to climate change.
