Transport policy in the European Union

Abstract:

The emphasis in this work is that transport within the European Union needs to be considered in four-dimensional terms, comprising the three distinct policy making environments - practical, political and organisational - with time as the fourth dimension.

The work is organised over eleven chapters and opens with an introductory chapter. The second chapter maps out the contours of the three environments within which transport policies are both made and implemented. Chapter three provides background history of the main features of a common transport policy for the European Communities. Chapter four deals with the process by which transport policy and legislation is shaped by the interaction of the several institutions which together constitute the European Union. The core chapters deal with the separate modes of transport. Chapter five covers inland transport, chapters six and seven deal with sea and air respectively, and chapter eight looks at transport infrastructure. Chapter nine discusses the political environment and the struggles that have taken place between the harmonisation and collaborative lobby and the competitive arena of providers from the private sector. Chapter ten examines the organisational environment and the contest between inter-company and inter-governmental organisations. The concluding chapter then tests the relevance and validity of the proposed four-dimensional model of making policy.

The work will interest scholars, students, researchers and policy makers with an interest in transport policy, public policy-making and European Union studies.