Brussels, 11/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission's commitment in favour of road safety, reaffirmed during a conference organised on 5 October by the manufacturing company, Scania, clearly echoed the call from the European Parliament during adoption of the Vatanen report for strengthening road safety programmes (EUROPE 9040). The vice-president of the Commission responsible for transport policy, Jacques Barrot, answered the “systemic approach” recommended by MEPs with that of “shared responsibility”. The total number of persons killed on European roads each day is equivalent to the number of victims in one medium-haul aircraft crash, Mr Barrot recalled, noting that progress is still insufficient as the number of people killed on roads has only fallen by 13% in 3 years, a rate still too slow to reach the target of reducing the number of victims by half by 2010. The Commission's priority is to rapidly adopt directives on driving licences (as the EP also hopes) and on social standards in the road haulage sector (driving time and compulsory installation of digital tachographs in new vehicles as of 1 January 2006). Commissioner Barrot recommended strengthening controls and sanctions for not being in line with the Highway Code, not only at national level (“on this, France sets a good example”) but also at Community level, as MEPs would like (cross-border prosecution of those who do not respect the Highway Code must be the subject of a proposal for a directive). The Commission's services are also working on another proposal for a directive aimed at making it compulsory for Member States to take into account safety elements for the whole of the trans-European network, from the planning stage to that of design and exploitation of road infrastructure. “In time, we could even envisage making compliance with safety rules a condition for Community financing of infrastructures”, the Commissioner said. The use of new technologies should also improve road safety without, however, being detrimental to the competitiveness of the motor industry “as European manufacturers could promote European vehicles for their safety standards rather than their speed”. The Commissioner welcomed the initiative of Scania which has organised the second edition of the Young European Truck Driver Contest intended to heighten the awareness of young drivers to road safety and the environment, but also to give a better image of the road transport profession and attract the young to it.