Decision Support Tools - Thematic Research Summary - Transport ...

3. Policy contextThe EU and its Member States have a joint commitment to the principles of sustainabledevelopment in the transport sector and the EU Common Transport Policy (CTP) servesas a framework for achieving it (CEC, 1992; CEC, 2001).The Action Programme 1998-2004 which translated policy objectives into action (CEC,1998a) includes as a main task, under the area of efficiency and competitiveness, theevaluation of current and possible future mechanisms for market observation, including theneed for and feasibility of a European Transport Data System to provide an objective basisfor evaluating the performance of the EU’s transport markets and systems.Since then, the development of a European Transport policy Information System (ETIS)has been a priority action. ETIS is a European strategic decision support and informationsystem in the field of transport for policy makers, authorities, industry and operators. ETISwill support the development of the CTP by assisting policy makers at European level toanalyse European transport-related strategic issues. ETIS will be an information system ofintegrated tools including databases, modelling, GIS and presentation tools to interfaceusers with other elements.Research into the development of ETIS has become a major element since the FP4Transport Programme (CEC, 1994) which, under the area of strategic research,investigated the requirements and structures associated with data collection, retrieval,updating, displaying and analysis of European databases.The research programme within the Sustainable Mobility and Intermodality key action ofthe FP5 Growth programme (CEC, 2000) has identified as a priority the development ofthe building blocks for ETIS. The three major building blocks are (i) quantitative tools, (ii)knowledge of today’s and tomorrow’s driving forces in transport and (iii) effective policies.In order to anticipate, orient and respond to mobility needs, the aim of the first buildingblock (i.e. quantitative tools) is to refine and develop transport models to explain andpredict the user’s travel and transport decisions in a reliable way. The block will also haveto allow the evaluation of the impact of different transport policies and developments interms of economic effects, employment, environment, safety and cohesion so thatcomprehensive assessment can be made. In particular, priority is assigned to the design ofThematic Research Summary: “Decision Support Tools” Page: 16 of 74Transport Research Knowledge Centre