WRITTEN QUESTION E-0585/00 by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission. European sustainable transport policy.
C 26 E/66 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 As announced in its work programme for 2000, the Commission will be presenting a communication on the revision of the common transport policy. This communication will take account of the undertakings made under the Kyoto Protocol by both the Commission and the Member States. The Commission will be assisted in its task by the group of joint experts on the environment and transport, whose work and findings will add to the Commissionís information and make it more detailed. This group of experts was already involved in the preparatory phase of the integration strategy adopted by the Transport Council on 6 October 1999. (2001/C 26 E/082) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0585/00 by Mark Watts (PSE) to the Commission (29 February 2000) Subject: European sustainable transport policy Will the Commission say how it can strengthen the environmental assessments of policy initiatives with particular reference to CO2 emissions and the climate change issue? Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (12 April 2000) As the question relates to transport policy, the response will focus on this area. The question could also be seen in a more general context, as policy initiatives with an impact on climate change emanate from other policy areas as well. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport have to be seen as part of the overall area of transport and environment. This overall approach is important in order to avoid sub-optimal solutions that could lead to losses in other environmental areas (for example, replacing petrol by diesel without flanking measures would reduce CO2 emissions but could increase particulate emissions). The Commission has been operating a joint transport and environment expert group involving experts from the Member Statesí transport and environment ministries in order to support its integration efforts towards an environmen- tally sustainable transport system. This group made recommendations that provided essential support to the Finnish presidency in drawing up the Transport Councilís integration strategy of 6 October 1999. The group is now involved in the follow-up and the preparation for reviewing this strategy. Apart from this integration activity which concerns all environmental aspects in transport, climate change included, the Commission has now adopted the communication on EU Policies and Measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Towards a European Climate Change Programme (ECCP)í (1). The communica- tion includes a list of potential Community policies and measures, as requested by the Environment Council in October 1999. These will be developed under the ECCP. Transport plays an important role in this framework. The details of how transport will contribute to the ECCP are currently being worked out. The activities mentioned above will be significant in connection with the review of the common transport policy that is scheduled for the second half of this year, as well as for the planned green paper on urban transport. (1) COM(2000) 88 final