Transportation
"Studies show that transport is set to double by 2030...If nothing happens, pollution and congestion will increase prices of our products and impact negatively on the competitiveness of our industry and the quality of life of our citizens. Congestion is estimated to represent around 1.1% of the EU’s GDP, or more or less the EU budget (EUR 100 billion). There are also adverse consequences for safety (over 44,000 deaths on Europe’s roads each year), the security of energy supply (the transport sector is very dependent on oil) and the quality of the environment (transport is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions)...Therefore, European transport policy must promote the modal shift towards modes of transport which are less congested, safer and less polluting."
– Jacques Barrot
EU Transport Commissioner
The ability to move people and goods quickly, efficiently and cheaply is a central tenet of the EU's goal for a dynamic economy and cohesive society. The transport sector generates 10% of EU wealth measured by gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to about €1 trillion a year. It provides more than 10 million jobs.
Considerable progress has been achieved in deregulating road, rail, air and maritime services. Improving access to the market, applying competition rules and the removal of barriers to cross-border trade and travel have increased the volume of long-distance goods and passenger transport.
EU developments in the field of aviation include the Single European Sky, which is an ambitious initiative to reform the architecture of European air traffic control to meet future capacity and safety needs. SESAR is the industrial and technological arm of the Single Sky and aims to develop a new generation of European air traffic management. In addition, Galileo (the European Satellite Navigation System) will not only offer opportunities for significant improvements in the efficiency and safety of air travel, but open up a world of applications where imagination is the limit. The Galileo-GPS agreement signed on June 26, 2004 will ensure interoperability between the two systems for the benefit of users worldwide.
The EU seeks to ensure that transportation and energy policies are designed for the benefit of all sectors of society, including businesses, cities, rural areas and above all its citizens. As such, policies must be responsible and sustainable in economic, environmental, safety and social terms. The European Commission’s Transport and Energy Directorate General works to realize this vision through legislative initiatives and implementation and management of transport projects.
Towards an Open Aviation Area with the United States
Following years of talks aimed at liberalizing air services between Europe and the United States, the EU and the US reached agreement on the text of an Open Aviation, or "Open Skies," accord in November, 2005. However, in making a decision on whether or not to proceed with the agreement, the EU will take into consideration the outcome of an ongoing rulemaking process initiated by the US Department of Transportation to expand opportunities for non-US citizens to invest and participate in the management of US airlines.
The Open Aviation Agreement gives EU and US airlines complete freedom to serve any pairs of airports in the EU and US. It will also produce a more competitive market, generating greater choice of services and lower fares for travelers while taking into account the need to maintain the security and safety of air travel.
European Commission Delegation, Washington, DC, Staff
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