PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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(as opposed to viewing transport as a means to an end). Also, while non-motorized
transport, public transit and rail are still referred to as “more” sustainable, few EU
documents categorize automobile or plane travel as outright unsustainable. Some even
do the opposite. For example, under the heading “Efficient and Sustainable Use of the
Infrastructure”, the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) 9 concludes that
“in sparsely populated peripheral regions … regional air transport, including short-haul
services, has to be given priority.” Baeten (2000:71) summarized EU transport policy
goals as follows:
?? Spatial planning to reduce transport demand and create opportunities for
alternative transport modes;
?? Construction of new infrastructures;
?? Improvement of public transport;
?? Technical improvement of cars and fuels;
?? Measures to induce changing travel behaviour;
?? [Endorsement of] the polluter pays principle. For transport policies, this means
that ‘external costs’ such as air pollution or congestion have to be integrated
into total pricing of transport generated by road users
He then argues that
It is immediately clear from these EC transport policy goals that the Commission
relies upon well-tested policy options which were common sense even before the
notion of sustainable transport came into vogue. Moreover, this commitment is so
vague that is [sic] does not curtail any traditional planning option, including the
construction of new roads.
While generally sympathetic to Baeten’s criticisms, I would argue that
introducing the notion of sustainable transport into EU policy has nevertheless had an
impact on at least the formulation of environmental policy goals. Also, as we will see in
later sections of this study, different parts of the Commission pursue different goals, use
9 Note that although published by the Commission, the ESDP is not an official EU document, but rather a
document agreed at the Informal Council of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning (Potsdam, 1999).