Central European Development Forum, CEDEF, Serbian Energy Efficiency Agency of Republic of Serbia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy of Republic of Serbia and Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Belgrade held a conference

“Sustainable transport - the only road ahead”

2. April, 2012, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Belgrade

Sustainable alternative fuels - Integration and intermodality - Public transport – Investment into smart solutions – Investment into infrastructure

Conference agenda you can find here.

THE ENERGY CHALLANGE. Without new energy policies, energy demand and consequent CO2 emissions are projected to increase. Global primary energy demand by industry is projected to rise by 40% by 2030 from 2007 levels. This would put global energy-related CO2 emissions at 40.2 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2030, with an annual growth rate of 1.5%  (IEA, 2009). Such a trajectory puts the world on track for a long-term concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of over 1000 ppm of CO2 equivalent and a longer-term average temperature increase of 6°C. This is clearly unsustainable, environmentally, socially and economically. Co-ordinated action will be needed in all energy sectors, particularly in the transport sector.

THE ROLE OF SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT. Transport is fundamental to our economy and society. Mobility is vital for the quality of life of citizens as they enjoy their freedom to travel. Transport enables economic growth and job creation so it must be sustainable. The future prosperity of our continent and each country will depend on the ability of all of its regions to remain fully and competitively integrated in the world economy. Efficient and sustainable transport is the only road ahead in order to make this happen. The transport sector is a huge consumer of energy (accounting for 19% of global final energy consumption in 2007) and will account for 97% of the increase in world primary oil use between 2007 and 2030.

These are the reasons why CEDEF organized the conference“Sustainable transport – the only road ahead”. This was the first Serbian Conference on this important topic,which addresses holistically all the relevant issues. With this conference,CEDEF contributed to set up the frame for faster development of Serbian sustainable transport policies, by opening active discussion regarding automotive, rail, water and infrastructure trends.Conference provided an insight into the challenges and opportunities of creating  sustainable green transport initiatives.

It is our great pleasure that CEDEF's intent and mission were recognized and supported by eminent experts in the country and the European Union,and that they shared their experiences and ideas with conference participants.In this sense, a great honor for us was that,among others,on conference were speaking Mr. Dr Bernard Soulage,  President of the Union of European cities and regions for fast rail, Vice President of Rhone-Alpes Region, Reporter on Transport in the Committee of Regions and Chairmen of Public Transport Association of France. Henri Poupart-Lafarge, the Executive Vice President and  President of Transport Sector of Alstom company, as well as José Gómez Gómez, First Counselor / Head of Operations – Section II, EU Delegation to Serbia

The Conference brought  together about 200 government officials, decision makers, industry, and IFIs.We hope that the conference met its target ,and contributed to the collaboration between subjects in SE Europe,in order to reach the most relevant practical application for Serbia in this moments.It was highlighted importance of connecting Serbia with the Trans-European transport network and  the completion of Corridor 10 and Corridor 7,which would bring better conection between our contry, neighborts and the rest of Europe.

Speaker presentations can be downloaded here.

Photo gallery can be found here.

TRANSPORT FACTS AND FIGURES

ECONOMICS

-The quality and cost of transport services have a major impact on the ability of business to compete, on economic growth and on quality of life. Transport is fundamental to a more efficient economy.

The transport industry in Europe directly employs more than 10 million people, accounting for 4.5% of total employment, and represents 4.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Manufacture of transport equipment provides an additional 1.7% GDP and 1.5% employment.

SUSTAINABILITY

-Transport is heavily dependent on imported oil. And while most sectors have been reducing CO2 emissions, transport’s share has been steadily increasing. By 2050, we need to have greatly reduced those CO2 emissions and made inroads into tackling congestion and environmental pollution. To achieve Europe’s targeted 80% CO2 reduction by 2050 compared to 1990, oil consumption in the transport sector must drop by around 70% from today, implying a revolution in transport fuels and the way we travel.

-In the EU, transport depends on oil and oil products for more than 96% of its energy needs.

Source: Energy and Transport in Europe – Statistical Pocketbook 2010.

-Europe imports around 84% of its crude oil from abroad. In 2010, the EU’s oil import bill was around € 210 billion.

Source: Eurostat; EC own calculations

-Transport greenhouse gas emissions, including from international aviation and maritime transport, increased by around 34% between 1990 and 2008. Over the same period, energy industries reduced their emissions by about 9%.

Source: European Environment Agency

-Transport is responsible for about a quarter of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. 12.8% of overall emissions are generated by aviation, 13.5% by maritime transport, 0.7% by rail, 1.8% by inland navigation and 71.3% by road transport (2008).

Source: European Environment Agency

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transport offers many advantages over individual transport modes. It:

• costs less to the community,

• needs less urban space,

• is less energy-intensive,

• pollutes less,

• is the safest mode,

• improves accessibility to jobs, and

• offers mobility for all.

Source: UITP

SMART SOLUTIONS

-The new generation of jet engines due on the market in 2020 will cut aircraft emissions by 10-15%. Emission reductions of up to 40% are expected from 2025-2030.

Sources: International Civil Aviation Organization, 2010, Environmental Report 2010

-Electric cars could contribute to savings of 5 Mt CO2/year if the national and regional objectives of putting 5 million electric vehicles on the market by 2020 is met.

Source: Report of the European Expert Group on Future Transport Fuels, 2011.

-The average car engine emits 28 times less carbon monoxide than 20 years ago. An average new car today consumes 15% less fuel per 100 km than 10 years ago.

Sources: EC calculations based on the difference between Euro 1 and Euro 5 standards for cars and light duty vehicles; Monitoring the CO2 emissions from new passenger cars in the EU, COM(2010) 655 final

INVESTMENTS

-Transport has to be planned over the long term. Decisions taken over the next few years will define the landscape for decades. But considerable investment is needed to improve infrastructure across the EU. Europe is lagging behind other global leaders and public money will not be enough. To deliver a high-quality service we need new private money and new ways of securing investment.

-The EU has more than 4.5 million km of paved roads, 212 500 km of railway lines and 41 000 km of navigable inland waterways.

Source: EC estimations based on data from Eurostat, UIC and national sources

-Since the last enlargement in 2007, EU transport policy covers most of the continent and 500 million citizens. The new Member States have only 4 800 km of motorways and no purpose-built high-speed rail lines; conventional railway lines are often in poor condition.

Source: Energy and Transport in Europe – Statistical Pocketbook 2010.

A well-performing transport network requires substantial resources. The cost of EU infrastructure development to match transport demand has been estimated at over € 1.5 trillion for 2010-2030. An additional investment of a trillion euros in vehicles, equipment and charging infrastructure is needed to achieve emission reduction goals. The completion of the TEN-T network requires about €550 billion by 2020, out of which some € 215 billion are for the removal of the main bottlenecks.

Source: EC calculations based on TENtec Information System and the Impact Assessment accompanying the White Paper, SEC(2011) 358 [2 MB]

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