The European Parliament demands more correct treatment of the road
- March 20 2002
Contrary to the line expressed by the Commission in the White Paper on Transport
The European Parliament calls for a "more correct treatment" of the road
It also calls for a road safety policy "aggressive" and the creation of a European Agency for Highway Safety
Madrid, March 20 2002.- "It is necessary to bet on policies to ensure the efficiency of the road, main mode of transport in Europe, developing road infrastructure in certain regions and providing more financial support for maintaining the network." With this forcefulness has ruled the European Parliament regarding the guidelines you should follow the EU transport policy, and criticized the treatment given to the road sector in the White Paper "European Transport Policy facing 2010: Time the truth".
Such demonstrations occurred last March 5, during a meeting between representatives of the European Road Federation (ERF) -of which is part the Spanish Road Association (AEC) - and representatives of the European Parliament.
For the highest legislative body of the Union, the Commission and the Council should take into account the decisions of consumers and transport users in Europe, promoting realistic policies that meet their demands. Furthermore, guidelines on road safety must be more aggressive and have to bet on "funding for effective programs (road safety, vehicle safety, preventive audits and maintenance of the network) and not only by promoting measures coercive ".
The Chairman of the Executive Committee of the ERF, Aniceto Zaragoza, has expressed satisfaction with the position of Parliament, he understands that the White Paper "generates a feeling of defeat for those who believe that, on merit, roads have become a basic pillar of our social and economic life. "
According Zaragoza, the EU policy is nothing more than the continuation of transport policy applied in the twentieth century, "which has been to promote rail and disfavor road transport, obviating the absolute ineffectiveness of public rail systems and European monopoly. " In this regard, the European Parliament considers "urgent" and liberalize monopolizing railroad management in the interests of their conversion into a competitive mode and adapted to market.
