Brussels, 13/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - The first stage of the Marco Polo programme (2003-2006) is said to have helped cut down CO2 emissions from road traffic by 1.5 million tonnes by transporting 21.9 billion tonnes/km by other modes of transport. In a communication on the results of the programme for 2000-2010, published on 15 May, the European Commission claims that this is the only European instrument that aims to redirect road freight to other modes of transport and believes that support for this programme must be sustained. It is estimated that for every euro invested, €13.3 is recovered in environmental benefits. This success, however, is unable to hide the fact that out of the €73.8 million available for the first project programming period, only €41.8 million was actually used and that barely 46% of the modal report targets planned by the Commission were attained. The second part of the Marco Polo programme (2007-2013) will follow the same trajectory. The complexity of the programme for European business and the repercussions from the crisis explain this approach. The Commission has also expressed misgivings about competition given the fact that public funds have been injected into the market. (MD/transl.fl)