Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-04-Speech-2-193"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070904.23.2-193"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, this afternoon we are discussing a key sector for European growth, competition and employment, namely logistics.
We need to prevent the administrative burden being too great by using precisely these intelligent systems to reduce and restrict formalities, which remain complex, especially in, for example, customs and maritime trade; I believe, however, that the proposals the Commission is making in this regard in its action plan are potentially very positive.
Another bottleneck for which we are also proposing a number of solutions is the lack of infrastructure and shortfalls in associated funding. To that end we reiterate the need to terminate the system of cross-border networks by opening up unused historic passes in the Pyrenees, or in the Alps where we believe it would also help, and reducing congestion on some roads by opening rail tunnels.
There is also a specific proposal to that end which I particularly support, namely the proposal for a system of dedicated freight railways. We would urge the Commission to submit a plan to us on the subject.
As for the need for finance, what we would like is for the debate on the future funding of a sufficiently ambitious European transport policy to include logistics as a priority concern.
Regarding the lack of manpower we support the Commission in its proposal to make the profession more attractive but we would like it to refer not only to training but to improving social and working conditions.
Finally, we also wish to support and encourage the Commission in this regard when we point to the need for any future consideration of urban transport to include a specific chapter on urban logistics. We believe that our citizens endure congestion on a daily basis when logistics, which if successful are invisible, are shown to have failed. To that end we believe it is time that logistics took its rightful place in European discussions.
Logistics are essential to the quality of our citizens’ daily lives, although they do not perceive this clearly enough. This exercise attempts among other things to increase the visibility of this topic among citizens.
This is a sector which accounts for approximately 13% of GDP in the European Union and has great economic impact as it amounts to between 10 and 15% of the final cost of finished products in Europe. In some sectors, such as the important automotive industry, it exceeds even social costs.
It is also a sector which hitherto has appeared to be a matter exclusively for industry and the market; its success and potential for growth appeared incontrovertible and this must continue to be the case. But, true to our firm conviction that the best market is a well-regulated market which facilitates and promotes positive capacities and, moreover, prevents potential risks before they become barriers and obstacles to necessary growth, creativity and development of our citizens, we therefore applaud the Commission’s decision to begin to consider this sector in terms of the contribution which the European Union can make so as to increase opportunities and restrict obvious risks, given the growth forecasts for the transport sector in Europe. The talk is currently of growth of some 50% between the years 2000 and 2020. Therefore the sector will be able to exploit and increase the opportunities open to it in a situation which we perceive as being defined around five essential priorities.
The first priority is the recent enlargement towards the east which increases distances and creates outlying areas; at the same time, however, it also creates new opportunities both in terms of markets and trade in our citizens’ diverse cultures.
The second priority is globalisation, which accelerates trade, diversifies needs and redefines the geographical position of territories and peoples. I am thinking here of my own country, Spain, which appears to be peripheral where enlargement is concerned, yet is placed by globalisation on a crossroads between areas as important as Latin America, Africa or trade with Asia.
Another of the priorities for tackling logistics is climate change and current energy needs. We need to make infrastructure use more efficient, improve traffic management and restrict unladen journeys; current logistics can make a major contribution to this.
The fourth priority is the opportunities for Information Exchange that we are seeking in Europe under the Seventh Framework Programme and the whole future of the knowledge economy. Logistics are the very embodiment of intelligent transport – transport which includes planning as a fundamental concept and is based increasingly on intelligent transport systems. SESAR, SafeSeaNet and Track and Trade are all devices and new technologies which are being successfully applied to this sector.
Finally, demographic changes and young people’s employment expectations are also areas to which logistics can make a decisive contribution. To that end the proposal for a report specifically tries to support the Commission in identifying bottlenecks and trying to draw up new proposals."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples