Transport, including Aeronautics

Objective

Based on technological and operational advances and on the European transport policy, develop integrated, safer, "greener" and "smarter" pan-European transport systems for the benefit of all citizens, society and climate policy, respecting the environment and natural resources; and securing and further developing the competitiveness attained by the European industries in the global market.

Rationale

Transport is one of Europe's strengths - the air transport sector contributes to 2.6% of the EU GDP (with 3.1 million jobs) and the surface transport field generates 11% of the EU GDP (employing some 16 million persons). However, transport is responsible for 25% of all the EU emissions of CO₂, hence the absolute need for a "greening" of the system to ensure more sustainable transport patterns and compatibility with growth rates, as developed in the White Paper on "European Transport Policy for 2010: time to decide". ²⁵

The enlargement (increasing land surface by 25% and population by 20%) and economic development of the EU present new challenges for transporting people and goods efficiently, cost-effectively and in a sustainable manner. Transport also has direct relevance on other major policies such as trade, competition, employment, environment, cohesion, energy, security and the internal market.

Investment in RTD in EU transport industries is a prerequisite to ensure technological competitive advantage in global markets. ²⁶ Activities at European level will also stimulate the restructuring of the industry, including the integration of the supply chain and in particular SMEs.

The research agendas developed by European Technology Platforms ²⁷ support the need to take a new "transport systems" perspective that considers the interactions of vehicles or vessels, transport networks or infrastructures and the use of transport services, which can only be developed at European level. RTD costs in all these fields are rising substantially, and collaborative activity at EU-level is essential to enable a "critical mass" of diverse RTD providers to address the scale and multi-disciplinary challenges in a cost-effective way, as well as meeting the political, technological and socio-economic challenges on issues such as the "clean and safe vehicle" of the future, interoperability and intermodality with particular reference to waterborne and rail transport, affordability, safety, capacity, security and environmental impacts in an enlarged Union. Also, developing technologies in support of the Galileo system and its applications will be essential in implementing European policies.

As well as the strong industry relevance of the themes and activities set out below, the needs of policy makers will be addressed in an integrated way covering economic, social and environmental aspects of transport policy. In addition, support will be provided to respond to existing as well as new policy needs, for example relating to developments in maritime policy or implementation of the European Single Sky.

Activities

• Aeronautics and air transport

  – The greening of air transport: reduction of emissions, including green house gases and noise disturbance, incorporating work on engines and alternative fuels, structures and new aircraft designs including rotorcraft, airport operations and traffic management.

  – Increasing time efficiency: improvement of the efficiency of operating schedules focusing on innovative air traffic management systems in line with the effective implementation of Single Sky policy which integrate air, ground and space components, including traffic flow and more aircraft autonomy.

  – Ensuring customer satisfaction and safety: improvement of passenger comfort, innovative in-flight services and more efficient passenger handling; improvement of all safety aspects of air transport; wider choice of aircraft ranging from wide body to smaller size vehicles suitable for different applications (including regional applications).

  – Improving cost efficiency: reduction of costs associated with product development, manufacturing and operating costs focusing on innovative and zero maintenance, repair and overhaul, aircraft, increased use of automation and simulation.

  – Protection of aircraft and passengers: enhancement of protection measures for the traveller, crew, aircraft and air transport system such as improved data and identification methods, protecting the aircraft against attack, improved security design of aircraft.

  – Pioneering the air transport of the future: addressing the longer term challenges of aviation with more radical, environmentally efficient, accessible and innovative combinations of technologies which would lead to significant steps forward in air transport.

• Sustainable Surface transport (rail, road and waterborne)

  – The greening of surface transport: reduction of environmental and noise pollution, including green house gases; reducing the impact of transport on climate change by reducing emissions through technological and socio-economic means as well as user training; development of clean and efficient engines and power-trains, including hybrid technology and the use of alternative fuels for transport applications such as hydrogen and fuel cells, taking account cost-efficiency and energy-efficiency considerations; end of life strategies for vehicles and vessels.

  – Encouraging and increasing modal shift and decongesting transport corridors: development of sustainable innovative, intermodal and interoperable regional and national transport and logistics networks, infrastructures and systems in Europe; cost internalisation; information exchange between vehicle/vessel and transport infrastructure; optimisation of infrastructure capacity; modal shift strategies to encourage energy efficient means of transport.

  – Ensuring sustainable urban mobility for all citizens including the disadvantaged: innovative organisation schemes, including clean and safe vehicles and means of transport with lower levels of pollution, new high quality public transportation modes and rationalisation of private transport, communication infrastructure, integrated town planning and transport including their relationship with growth and employment.

  – Improving safety and security: as inherent to the transport system, in transport operations for drivers, passengers, crew, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as for freight, in the design and operation of vehicles, vessels, infrastructures, and within the total transport system.

  – Strengthening competitiveness: improvement of design processes; development of advanced power-train and vehicle and vessel technologies; innovative and cost-effective production systems and infrastructure construction and maintenance; integrative architectures.

• Support to the European global satellite navigation system (Galileo and EGNOS): precise navigation and timing services for use in a range of sectors; efficient use of satellite navigation and support to the definition of second generation technologies and applications.

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²⁵  COM(2001) 370.

²⁶ The European aeronautics industry invests 14% of its turnover in research, the European car industry almost 5% of its turnover; and the EU shipbuilding industry competitive advantage relies exclusively on RTD.

²⁷  ACARE: Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe. Launched in 2001, it is the first operational example of a Technology Platform; ERRAC: European Rail Research Advisory Council; ERTRAC: European Road Transport Research Advisory Council; WATERBORNE Technology Platform.