Despite the fact that oil will become scarcer and pricier in the future decades, EU transport is still 96% oil powered. Congestion remains unresolved in and around major cities and ports. Alternative transport modes like rail and inland shipping only play, some countries excepted, a small role. But this is about to change.

Changing transport patterns

A growing number of front-running companies are actively pursuing more efficient ways of transporting goods with new processes and technologies that reduce cost, increase environmental care and reduce dependency on scarce resources.

Role for waterway transport 

Important EU main ports situated on rivers and canals can sustainably manage the growth of traffic volumes from and to their hinterlands thanks to free capacity on waterways of high quality. City ports play a key role in shortening the last expensive mile by bringing goods as deeply as possible into cities. Location on waterways will become a unique selling point to make sure that hundreds of millions of EU citizens can continue to be provided with all the products and commodities they need.

Policy priorities 

Within the limits of a tight budgets, the EU’s priorities are to complete the single market for transport, to create a quality infrastructure and to lay the basis for an innovative and low carbon transport system.