07/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Road deaths down. EU road fatalities decreased by 11% in 2010 compared with the previous year and have fallen by 43% since 2001. These are the findings of a report published by the European Commission on Tuesday 5 July. European roads are safer but, as Commission Vice-President with responsibility for Transport Siim Kallas says: “The number of injuries is still unacceptable. We want to cut the number of deaths by half by 2020”. Country by country statistics reveal wide differences across the EU. The EU's smallest countries, Luxembourg and Malta, record the largest percentage terms reductions (33% and 29% respectively). Seven countries are below the European average reduction: Hungary and Greece (10%), Spain (9%), France (7%), Italy (6%) and Finland (1%). Only one country, Portugal, saw the number of deaths on its roads increase in 2010 compared with 2009 (1%). Despite this, however, Portugal's long-term (2001-2010) record of a 49% reduction is better than the European average. (G.Ba/Gp/transl.rt)