Brussels, 13/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - Addressing a meeting organised by the European Parliament on Tuesday 12 January and attended by Jos Delbek, Deputy Director at DG Environment and a member of the EU negotiating team at the climate conference in Copenhagen, Johanes Ludewig, Executive Director of the Community of European Railways (CER), drew attention to the issue of how to fund measures designed to make transport cleaner. “This is not a purely legislative matter. It's a financial issue,” he said, highlighting two main points: the gradual reduction in public funding for transport and a certain lack of understanding on the part of the Commission. The Commission thinks more in legislative terms, which do not always correspond to market economy reality, Ludewig said. Without making direct reference to it, he backed the revised draft Eurovignette directive (on the taxation of certain heavy goods vehicles) and other options that involve variable pricing, depending on the extent of pollution and the external costs resulting from the various forms of transport. These measures, which would remove a number of costs currently borne by users, are, however, “not popular”, he regretted. Delbek, taking stock of the outcome of the Copenhagen Conference at the same meeting, said that Community action had to focus on that side of things to counter the negative effect of transport on the environment. To make transport cleaner, he said, the EU should put in place incentives through pricing, to promote technology and traffic management, particularly in urban environments and at regional level. (A.By./transl.rt)