Effective Connections or Left Standing on the Periphery?
Monday, June 26, 2006
by
Neil Amner
Effective connections or left standing on the periphery?
What Will The European Transport Policy Deliver For Scotland?
Great strides are being made in Scotland to address transport issues, including those that impact on freight. Businesses that trade outwith Scotland, however, will be interested in the wider picture.
The enlargement of the European Union and its single market has meant that the geographic centre of the EU has, in effect, moved to Vienna. Viewed from there, Scotland is on the periphery. Given that goods movements represent a business overhead, where does that leave us in terms of European transport policy ?
The European Commission’s White Paper from September 2001 entitled “European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to Decide” is undergoing its mid-term review.
The objective was to shift the balance of transport from road and aviation to rail and shipping by 2010. The policy focuses on revitalising the railways, promoting maritime and inland waterway transport, linking up different modes of transport, and developing the trans-European transport network (referred to as TEN-T).
TEN-T designated thirty priority projects of European importance, including short sea shipping and rail projects.
The Commission has promoted three packages of railway directives. The first sought open and free competition on rail within each member state. The second included provision for full open access to rail freight markets across Europe. So far implementation has been poor.
The Commission recently abandoned proposals for a port services directive following trade union pressure in some countries. Given that it can still take up to six different trains and drivers to move a single consignment across France, the future of the rail freight quality proposal in the third package of directives is bleak.
Meanwhile, pressure on the viability of road haulage continues – not just from fuel prices. In December, the EU Parliament accepted a compromise to establish common rules across the EU on HGV tolls and use charges. Drivers hours contiune to be an issue. Digital tachographs become compulsory on all new commercial vehicules from May.
On a positive note, in February the Commission proposed a second “Marco Polo” programme to provide financial assistance to improve environmental performance of freight transport. Additionally, the Commission has approved state aid for schemes seeking to implement the White Paper objectives such as German combined road/rail and waterway/road terminals.
If the business opportunities presented by the enlargement of the EU are not to be lost, we need to be as well connected as possible to European business and distribution centres.
EU financial support for TEN-T projects is threatened following the budget reforms at the end of 2005. Our politicians must press for the retention of those projects which will serve Scotland and the routes linking us to the core of Europe.
Equally, projects such as the “New Opera” that seek to establish a dedicated rail freight network across Europe should be supported. The current draft of the route plan includes provision for a main hub in West Central Scotland linked to main interchanges in Central Europe. As with direct air connections to Europe and the provision of appropriate maritime developments, it is vital to our future economic wellbeing for this sort of railway infrastructure to be secured.
Without this, we are in danger of being left on the periphery with all the competitive disadvantages and wider economic consequences which that entails.