PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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policy, he also takes the critique one step further, once again contrasting EU rhetoric
versus reality:
In reality, at the European level as well as at the global level, environmental policy is
made and implemented in terms of the vested interests in government and industry
who wish to consolidate their power and follow the path of economic growth. For
example, the TERN plan was based on proposals made by the Motorways Working
Group […]. The fact that the consequences of TERN, in terms of the production of
greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, can be considered to be in direct
contravention of the EU’s commitments in the Framework Convention on Climate
Change at Rio did not even enter the equation.
The industry lobby itself was somewhat divided between promoters of high speed
rail and old-fashioned automobile lobbyists. But since all of them were arguing for
stepping up infrastructure investments, the demands were not presented in a dissenting
fashion but rather as a multi-modal package. Nevertheless, the director of the German
automobile industry lobby, Dieckmann (1995:103-106) has a very clear slant to his
“missing links” storyline, worth quoting at length:
Missing links in the European road network impact most severely on national traffic
flows because this is where the bulk of the movements occur. … The TERN [Trans-
European Road Network] proposals are a first attempt to put pan-European road
planning on a rational basis. …. Nevertheless far greater attention seems to be given to
the creation of a European high-speed rail network. Though the creation of such a
network undoubtedly offers a number of advantages, it will only account for a fraction
of the movements of goods and people in Europe once it is completed. …. This
resurgence in rail-oriented investment contrasts sharply with rail’s share in traffic
volumes. As pointed out earlier it will have negative effects on the sustainability of
the transport system. This policy is not rational. It again raises the question how
serious governments are about reducing pollution, accidents and casualties on the
road. The problem of financing the missing links in the European road network could
easily be solved if railways in Europe succeeded in cutting their costs by about onethird,
thereby reducing the need for subsidies. Over a ten-year period these savings
would provide about 120 billion ECU, which is the sum needed to create a European
road network.