18 June 2009 | Luca Del Buono

 

Road charging should play a bigger role in managing Europe's booming transport industry, European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday as he outlined EU transport priorities for the next decade.

"The causer of pollution should pay an extra price," Tajani told reporters as he launched a consultation on European Union transport policy from 2010.

"Money should not flow generally into national budgets, but should be earmarked and ring-fenced for transport infrastructure."

The European Commission laid out 6 main transport challenges to be tackled in the coming decade: the aging population, increasing immigration, growing greenhouse gas emissions, changing energy resources, globalisation and urbanization.

But it did not attempt to provide solutions, and environment groups said it had missed an opportunity for bold action on transport emissions, which have risen 35 percent since 1990 and canceled out improvements from EU manufacturing and power generation.

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Source: Reuters

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