PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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improving quality,” and “improving external effectiveness.” The term “sustainability” is
rather extensively used in body of the Communication, especially in the sub-headings on
environment. In particular, the Communication insists that
The development of transport systems must not be at the expense of the quality of life
of citizens or the destruction of the environment. The indefinite continuation of current
trends in transport in certain modes (road, air) would be unsustainable in relation to its
environmental impact, in particular as regards climate change. The development of
sustainable forms of transport is therefore one of the key priorities of the Commission.
[p. 7, emphasis in the original.]
Ultimately, however, the new program is as ambitious as it is non-committal in
terms of true priority setting. Issues of market access, systems integration, pricing and
technological upgrading feature somewhat too comfortably next to questions of
environmental protection and climate change. The difficult relationship between
transport and urban and regional development is also not tackled head-on, but at least
mentioned as an area worthy of further investigation. 11
5.3.5 The Green Paper on the Citizen’s Network
The EU Green Paper “The Citizen’s Network” (Commission of the European
Communities 1996a) was mostly focused on the promotion of public transport in urban
areas. In the document, the Commission promises a refocusing of its research and
11 Regarding the ESDP, the Communication notes that “an examination will be needed of the Common
Transport Policy in relation to the evolving European Spatial Development Perspective” (p.9, emphasis in
the original). No specific Communication on Transport and the ESDP exists, however. Regarding
economic and social cohesion, the Communication notes the following (p.5):
Efficient and sustainable transport systems play a key role in regional development. Structural policies
and the CTP complement one another and therefore promote a more balanced and sustainable
development of the Union's territory, particularly by improving accessibility and the situation of weaker
regions and disadvantaged social groups. The Commission will set out how these two policies can
achieve maximum synergies in a communication on Transport and Cohesion.
For further details on the notion of “cohesion” and the Commission’s important 1998 Communication on
Transport and Cohesion, see Chapter 6.