Spatial Effects of European Transport Policy: a CGE Approach

While transport policy had no high priority on the agenda of the European Community until the mid eighties, an increasing activity in this field has been witnessed during the last 15 years. After the European Court had sentenced the commission of having failed in promoting the common market in transport, the commission started to develop a common transport policy (CTP). The most important milestones are: Deregulation of trucking. Railway deregulation by separating infrastructure management and operation and guaranteeing non-discriminatory access to infrastructure. Deregulation of civil aviation, though still incomplete: fair competition in airport charging, slot regulation and computer reservation is yet to be brought about. Promoting interconnection and interoperability between nationally fragmented systems as well as between different modes. Applying progressively the principle of charging for marginal social costs not yet fully reflected in private transport costs. Developing Trans-European Transport-Networks (TEN-T). In the Maastricht treaty which became effective in 19932 a new title has been introduced, with Article 129b (now Article 154) assigning the obligation to the union administration to contribute to the establishment of trans-European networks in transport, telecommunication and energy. Following this prescription, a master-plan for transport infrastructure has been set up including a priority list of projects in the present community area as well as a system of corridors and priority areas for central and eastern Europe.