EUTRALOG - RT&D Roadmaps for European Transport Logistics of the future
Overview
Background & policy context:
To succeed in breaking the link between economic growth and growth in transport demand, as the European Council has set as a primary target, it is necessary to succeed in developing of truly intermodal Pan-European transport systems. To achieve this, the European Commission has stressed that research needs to be better linked to both policy making influencing the framework conditions, and to industry to enhance the competitiveness through technological and organisational innovation.
The scope of the EUTRALOG project has then been to identify recommendations for RTD-initiatives for supporting policy identification and policy making. Indeed, the core of EUTRALOG has been on the European Transport Industry and its practises. With the support of a Steering Committee composed of transport experts, the EUTRALOG results have not only implied thematic propositions and project ideas, but also widely encompassed recommendations to how this dialogue can be accommodated and enhanced on a European scale in the future.
Objectives:
The objectives of the project were to:
- establish a creative forum where research, industry and policy meet to exchange and develop RTD ideas and recommendations in the field of Transport Logistics;
- expand the constituency of and to achieve critical mass to support future RTD activities in the field of European Transport Logistics;
- contribute to the structuring of a strong European Research Area in transport logistics also strengthening the international co-operation;
- make recommendations to policy programs aiming to support performance and integration of transport systems and logistics operations;
- strengthen awareness of the importance of SMEs and the alignment of logistics systems of candidate countries;
- identify prioritized research themes in the field of transport logistics with a particular focus on developing intermodality;
- effectively disseminate results and increase awareness of the objectives of EUTRALOG.
Methodology:
EUTRALOG has addressed some of the central socio-economic challenges identified by the CEC and European Council: socio-economic scenarios for mobility of goods, driving forces in goods transport, policies for sustainable mobility, transport and mobility services at the strategic level where research, policy and industry requirements and objectives meet.
Though EUTRALOG addresses high-level strategic issues, the ambition was to devise practical advice. That is, identification of themes, concrete steps and initiatives at the short, mid and long term for the European Commission in relation to the realisation of the 6th Framework Programme.
EUTRALOG has finally drawn up RTD Roadmaps for European Transport Logistics meeting these requirements. The identification of these Roadmaps has been based on the following three pillars.
1) Good policy practises – the international experiences.
Good policy practices and examples of successful policy programmes or pitfalls in sustaining the development of efficient transport logistical systems and practises from the international community gave valuable input to the project. This concerned not the least also the way in which research initiatives were integrated in the programmes.
The main activities and studies carried out were:
- systematic analysis of R&D and promotion programmes and projects in the field of transport logistics;
- assessment of national and international logistics policies and policies that are related to transport logistics;
- comparison of programmes and policies in the field of transport logistics, including experiences from other countries;
- recommendations to European policy programmes aiming at sustaining the development of efficient and sustainable transport logistics.
2) Driving forces and direction of change.
The main activities and studies carried out were:
- assessment of the main drivers for change in transport demand and the impact on the European transport markets (segmentation of actors, services and goods);
- scenarios for intermodality in the future transport markets and assessments of the necessary steps /advances in terms of new research, new industry practises, new policy initiatives;
- identification of major challenges to succeed in aligning the transport systems of NAS with the future
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