Untitled - Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego

mental liability precisely details the position of the European Union on applying
the principle “the polluter pays” and charging the ones causing external effects
with the costs 2 . Already in 5th Environmental Action Programme Towards sustainability:
European Community Programme of policy and action in relation to the environment
and sustainable development, transport was considered to be one of the
most burdensome sectors of the economy, like energy, agriculture, industry or
tourism 3 .
19.2. Principles of sustainable development of transport
in EU strategic documents
Transport is the basic factor of development of European integration and a condition
for achieving its effects. Such an approach was reflected in the Treaty of
Rome, establishing European Economic Community in 1957, where the socalled
common community policy was adopted for transport as well as for agriculture.
In recent years, the economic and social policy-makers have considered sustainable
development, that is the direction of creating a socio-economic system
based on harmonious co-existence of man and the natural environment, to be
the main objective of economic development. It requires setting out such ways
of development that will enable a reduction of its growing environmental and
social costs. A critical attitude to transport and its environmental impact surfaced
as early as the late 1960s, initially with the objective of enhancing transport
safety. The problem becomes even more alarming in the light of the fact
that the most bothersome branch of transport – road transport – has been showing
a growing trend during the whole period, both in terms of volume of
cargo and transport work, as well as its share in the structure of freight and passengers
carried.
Fig. 56 presents chronologically the key documents on transport and its sustainable
development. Numerous legislative initiatives to reduce negative environmental
impact of transport have emerged since 1992. Two important documents
were published that year:
– Green Paper on the Impact of Transport on the Environment: A Community strategy
for sustainable mobility 4 ;
2 White Paper on environmental liability, COM(2000) 66 final, 9.02.2000.
3 5th Environmental Action Programme Towards sustainability: European Community Programme of
policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development, COM(92) 23 final, 3.04.1992.
4 Green Paper on the Impact of Transport on the Environment: a Community strategy for sustainable mobility,
COM(92) 46 final, 12.03.1992.
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