Facing the crisis

Publication date: 19 March 2009

Facing the crisis An Infrastructure Recovery Plan: this is what Europe needs!

The European Union Road Federation (ERF), the Brussels Programme Centre of the International Road Federation (IRF) wishes once more to stress the importance and the urgency for the European Commission to develop an Economic Recovery Plan tuned to prioritise infrastructure building and maintenance to mirror initiatives on the other side of the Atlantic.

At a moment when Europe is probably facing one of its worst economic crises, the European transport agenda is mainly focused on measures foreseeing additional charges for the road transport sector, which will only have the effect to worsen the already critical economic situation.

On 11 March the European Parliament adopted the legislative resolution on Eurovignette with 359 votes in favour, 256 against and 86 abstentions. The text, that saw the opposition of centre-right EPP-ED group, allows national governments to charge heavy good vehicles for the pollution, noise and congestion they allegedly produce.

Nevertheless figures, coming from different road freight transport associations show an average decrease in road freight transport activity of up to 50% for the last quarter of 2008 and consequently a rise in the costs for the road freight transport sector by at least 3-4%. More charges will seriously harm the goods transport sector thus the economic and social benefits it brings to Europe.

While the European Union is considering further charges for the road sector, US President Barack Obama and major European governments such as UK, France, Germany and Italy, are wisely implementing economic recovery plans, mainly focused on road infrastructure investment that will help mitigate the effects of the slowdown by pumping money into the economy to sustain employment. It is time for the European Union to follow these relevant examples that rightly consider road infrastructure investment as a key measure to overcome the crisis and devise a clear action plan to prompt the remaining Member States to adopt measures aimed at prioritising infrastructure investments.

The ERF – IRF BPC firmly believes that an infrastructure oriented recovery plan is the only far-seeing and timely measure Europe

Source: ERF