Call for better coordination by task forces

Date: 30/01/1997

TWO years after the European Commission committed itself to help develop a new generation of European planes, trains and automobiles, industrialists are complaining that the institution's approach to transport research still lacks coordination.

In March 1995, Research Commissioner Edith Cresson and Industry Commissioner Martin Bangemann announced the creation of five 'task forces' to coordinate work on projects of joint industrial interest.

Three of these task forces - on 'the car of tomorrow', 'the plane of the next generation' and 'the train of the future' were set up in conjunction with Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock. A fourth 'ship of the future' task force was created later in the year.

“We expected quite a lot when the task forces were set up, despite the fact their purpose was somewhat unclear,” says Paul Heymans of the European Federation of Machine Tool Manufacturers (CECIMO).

But since then, he adds, there has been little information sharing between the groups.

He feels the Commission has made little effort to encourage 'horizontal linkage' between the various transport industries.

Critics say that the task forces have ended up as more of an internal Commission initiative, aimed at forcing the institution's notoriously territorial departments or 'directorates-general' to work together, rather than encouraging real progress within the transport sector.

At the end of 1995, Kinnock announced his proposed blue- print for the train of the future. Dubbed the '50&percent; train', the new vehicle is intended to be 50&percent; cheaper, cost 50&percent; less to maintain and be used 50&percent; more than existing rolling stock.

But funding for the task forces suffered a serious blow last year when EU finance ministers refused to sanction the transfer of 700 million ecu of underspent farm money to the Union's research budget.