Externality pricing and sustainable mobility
Not all external transport costs such as congestion, noise, pollution are borne by the transport users who create them. The Directive on the charging of Heavy Goods Vehicles in the EU ("Eurovignette" Directive) asks the European Commission to present by June 2008 "a generally applicable, transparent and comprehensible model for the assessment of all external costs to serve as the basis for future calculations of infrastructure charges". A general framework of reference for the internalisation of externalities in the transport sector is under preparation. But, in order to get an idea of the magnitude of these costs, it is important to assess their impact on economy, environment and society at large and to monetise it.
≡ EC on internalization of external costs
≡ EC handbook on valuation of external costs

European Commission presents freight transport agenda
With 5 communications on inter alia logistics, ports and rail, the Commission aims at making freight transport more efficient and sustainable. As the majority of goods are carried by trucks, this leads to increasingly congested roads. The common objective of these initiatives is to promote innovative infrastructure technologies and practices, improve freight management, facilitate the construction of multimodal transport chains, simplify administrative procedures and enhance quality throughout the logistics chain.
≡ EC on logistics

Green paper on urban mobility 
With the publication of its green paper the European Commission opened the debate on free-flowing and greener towns and cities. The document presents a set of policy issues for urban mobility while respecting the responsibilities of local, regional and national authorities in this field. The Commission wants to launch a discussion on how it can best enable the development of a new culture for urban mobility in Europe and wants to find out what the EU can do to support innovative policies which pioneering cities throughout Europe are putting in place. To support the preparations of the Green Paper, the European Commission organised an intensive consultation of stakeholders between January and June 2007. The Green Paper marks the start of a new consultation phase and will be discussed by the European institutions. Citizens and stakeholders are invited to share their views with the Commission until 15 March 2008. An Action Plan on urban mobility will follow in the early autumn of 2008.
≡ EC green paper on urban mobility
≡ INE’s view on waterway and mobility

45ft containers not banned from EU roads as of 2007
A 1996 Council Directive, laying down the rules for weights and dimensions in road transport, envisaged the banning of 45 foot containers on the EU road from 2007. After fierce opposition from various transport industry stakeholders, the transport commissioner now acknowledges that rules on the dimensions of vehicles and loading units should match the needs of advanced logistics and sustainable mobility in Europe. Therefore, Member States can still allow 45ft containers to circulate in their territory after 2006 provided they put in place the necessary administrative arrangements. With this public statement, the Commission seems to definitely bury its own proposal on the European Intermodal Loading Unit which was blocked in the council of ministers.
≡ EC on 45 foot containers

EC reflects on new security rules to protect land freight transport
After the terrorist attacks, the EU Council identified transport as a key area for action, calling for increasing the protection of all forms of transport systems, incl. land freight transport. However, a proposal of the Commission on land freight transport following the EU security initiatives in the maritime and air sector, which contained a a security quality label to be awarded to operators meeting European minimum security levels, was rejected. The Commission now reflects together with stakeholders on new ways to introduce more security in the supply chain.
≡ EC transport security webpage