Brussels, 08/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission plans to launch a new stakeholder conference with a view to continuing the debate on the future of transport. Scheduled for 20 November, the conference will continue reflection initiated by the publication in June this year of the communication on the future of sustainable transport, and should result in the drafting of a new White Paper on Transport sketching out the basis for European transport policy over the next decade. On Friday 9 October, EU transport ministers will hold a policy debate on the Commission's communication with a view to reaching conclusions during the next Transport Council on 17 December. Speaking on behalf of the European transport commissioner during a debate organised on Tuesday 6 October by Mobility for Prosperity in Europe (MPE), Mattia Pellegrini asserted that the Commission would be able to prepare proposals for the new White Paper mid-2010. At this stage, it has identified seven major challenges and three fields of action: - integration of all modes of transport, technology and people (see EUROPE 9984). The Commission will place emphasis on technology, not only in order to reduce the carbon footprint of transport means but also to create a smart and effective transport system able to meet the needs of users, including the needs of an ageing population, one of the Commission's most dreaded challenges. It is not just a question of making transport cleaner, as the former transport commissioner Jacques Barrot pointed out, but of considering transport in a global way that meets not only environmental, but also social and economic needs. On the subject of technology, the Commission will promote reduced dependency on fossil fuels (by supporting renewable fuels and by introducing electric or hybrid vehicles) and will conduct pricing action which, it believes, will send out the “right signals”. The setting in place of an interoperable transport platform with intelligent vehicles and infrastructures will be another Commission priority, which in time aims to reach a semi-automatic transport system and entirely linked transport modes. MPE Executive President Tony Richman backed such a policy, saying mobility was an important facilitator of socio-economic welfare, and that transport users' needs should be put at the forefront, with the development of effective co-modality. He went on to add that transport should be part of a holistic approach based on facts and thorough analysis, while fostering investment in infrastructure, encouraging innovation and making transport more efficient and sustainable. (A.By./transl.jl)