Brussels, 23/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission approved a regional aid scheme for the Italian region of Friulia-Venetia Giulia to promote combined transport operations by rail and by short-sea-shipping services and thus achieve a modal shift of goods transport from road to rail and/or sea. Beneficiaries of the scheme, which will apply for a three year period with an overall budget of €2.7 million, are private or public logistic companies that organise combined intermodal transport involving rail and at least one other mode of transport, as well as ship-owners, shipping companies and shipping operators, which set up new scheduled short-sea-shipping connections for combined transport operations. The scheme is designed to offset the various additional external and specific infrastructure costs of combined transport and sea transport compared to road transport.