Greening Transport Package (adopted 8 July 2008)

With this package of proposals, adopted in July 2008, the European Commission aims to move transport further towards sustainability.

The package includes both:

action to improve price signals to consumers and business so that they have incentives to change their behaviour and

action to stimulate the market to offer alternatives so that when consumers and business choose to change their behaviour, they can do so easily.

The package has five parts:

1. Greening Transport Communication. This Communication summarises the whole package and sets out what new initiatives the Commission will take in this field until the end of 2009.

2. Greening Transport Inventory. This document describes the large amount of EU action already taken to green transport and on which this package builds.

3. Strategy to Internalise the External Costs of Transport
Internalisation of transport external costs. This Strategy focuses on making transport prices better reflect their real cost to society so that environmental damage and congestion can be reduced while boosting the efficiency of transport and ultimately the economy as a whole.

4. Proposal for a Directive on road tolls for lorries
Tolls & user charges for vehicles (including Eurovignette)
This proposal would enable Member States to reduce environmental damage and congestion through more efficient and greener road tolls for lorries. Revenue from the tolls would be used to reduce environmental impacts and cut congestion.

5. Communication on rail noise. Rail Transport and Interoperability. This Communication sets out how to reduce the perceived noise from existing rail freight trains by 50% and the measures the Commission and other stakeholders will need to take in the future to achieve this.