Brussels, 12/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - ERA (the European Regions Airline Association) submitted its contribution to the European Commission at the beginning of the year for the mid-term review (scheduled for the first six months of this year under the Austrian Presidency) of the European Commission transport policy for 2010, for the Commission's White Paper on 'European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to decide'. ERA's view is clear: 'The White Paper offers an inconsistent approach towards air transport, suggesting that growth in capacity is essential while primarily focussing on 'Controlling the Growth in Air Transport' - the title for the chapter on air transport.' ERA points out that the White Paper 'highlights the environmental problems of air transport, while largely ignoring those of high-speed rail, its key competitor on some intra-European routes.' ERA wants the mid-term review of the White Paper to take account of the social and economic advantages air travel confers on European society and its contribution to the Lisbon Strategy growth, productivity and competitiveness objectives. ERA wants 'a clearly defined role for air transport within an integrated European transport policy and strategies for ensuring that all the principles of 'better governance' are applied to regulatory action for all modes of transport,' … 'in some cases, much of the improvement may be reached by working towards a binding agreement with industry rather than legislation…all proposals for future transport legislation should be accompanied by a full impact assessment. This assessment should include the overall impact on European employment and competitiveness.'