“Mega trucks are the crucial issue”

Berlin. Now that the new EU commission has been approved by the European parliament, the German Pro-Rail Alliance today outlined its transport policy expectations for the new EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas. “For us, mega trucks are the crucial issue,” said Dirk Flege, managing director of the Pro-Rail Alliance in Berlin. “We are going to watch Kallas closely to see whether he continues to reject mega trucks like his predecessor, or gives in to the intense pressure of the lobbyists in Brussels.” Before being officially sworn in, Kallas did however say that he would not be presenting any new studies that recommended allowing longer, heavier vehicles. “That is certainly not a definite ‘no’,” said Flege, referring to the activities of officials in Kallas’ department who are “blatantly infatuated with mega trucks. The danger that longer and heavier vehicles will soon be thundering across Europe has in no way been averted.”

The Pro-Rail Alliance called on the Estonian minister to show his true colours on transport policy. The next Transport White Paper, due to be presented soon by the commission, will provide plenty of opportunity to do so. The last White Paper, published in 2001, was clear and precise but has lost clarity since the so-called mid-term review. “EU policies now bear the signature of the truck lobby,” said Flege. Protecting the climate should be at the heart of the new White Paper, including binding targets on reducing CO2 emissions for the whole transport sector. Flege pointed out that this is something that the German federal council also recently demanded (parliamentary publication 603 / 09). “We want to see EU transport policies that take the wishes of the member states seriously, and play a leading role in climate issues.”

Flege also mentioned the EU proposal to make individual transport modes pay for the external costs they cause. “Without cost transparency we will never have sustainable transport,” said Flege. He called on Kallas to make a real and verifiable commitment to rail transport. “The expansion of the railways must be made a priority for Europe’s transport networks,” he said.