Three organisations representing the railway sector detailed, in a joint statement unveiled on Monday 29 June, their expectations with a view to the publication by the European Commission regarding its strategy for sustainable and intelligent mobility (see EUROPE 12430/12), expected by the end of the year.
The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Undertakings (CER), the Association of European Railway Infrastructure Managers (EIM) and Association of European Rail Supplies Industry (UNIF) note that rail — which carries 17% of domestic freight and 8% of passengers in Europe — accounts for less than 0.5% of total transport sector emissions.
They therefore call for it to be given a prominent place in the future strategy, particularly “at a time when the EU is reviewing its 2030 emission reduction targets”.
In particular, the CER, UNIF and EIM expect the strategy to focus on the creation of a Single European Transport Space and the harmonisation of European transport and climate policies, as well as reaffirming the principles of 'polluter pays' and 'modal shift' towards different sustainable modes of transport.
In addition, the strategy should, according to the organisations, be based on the objectives of the 2011 Transport White Paper and “set the pathway for a regulatory framework which enables faster uptake of digital technologies” such as artificial intelligence.
To view the statement: https://bit.ly/2BP1vOi (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)