Inland Navigation Europe (INE), along with the European Barge Union (EBU) and European Skippers Organisation (ESO), has united with the rest of the transport sector to send a common letter to the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso. In the letter, the road, rail, inland waterway, aviation and maritime sectors express their concern about the direction the EC policy is taking with regard to transport.
All the signatories agree that decarbonisation of the transport sector must be a key concern of the new Commission’s transport and environment policy but expressed concern that, in the recently published ‘Political Guidelines for the New Commission’ the need for reducing carbon emissions was the sole reference to transport in the entire document.
The transport sector asked for a commitment from the President of the European Commission that, during his new mandate, transport policy will be given a priority that reflects the sector’s contribution to the European Union. As such it should be seen and developed with full consideration given to all the complex environmental, economic, social and employment factors that are inseparable from EU transport policy and the achievement of a prosperous, integrated and successful European Union.
The signatories to the letter were the Association of European Airlines, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, the European Barge Union, The European Community Shipowner’s Association, the European Federation of Inland Ports, the European Skippers Organisation, the European Sea Ports Organisation, Inland Navigation Europe and the International Road Transport Union.

≡  Full text of letter
≡  Political guidelines for the new commission