Skip to main content

EU offers $82 million for greener freight transport

The European Commission's (EC's) second Marco Polo funding programme for projects which shift freight transport from the road to sea, rail and inland waterways, has launched a call for proposals to reduce road congestion and also the impact of freight transportation upon the environment. The call for proposals is worth US$82 million. Companies who are able to transfer their freight from the roads, and use alternative transportation methods such as by sea, rail and inland waterways will receive grants under
June 25, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 1690 European Commission's (EC's) second Marco Polo funding programme for projects which shift freight transport from the road to sea, rail and inland waterways, has launched a call for proposals to reduce road congestion and also the impact of freight transportation upon the environment. The call for proposals is worth US$82 million. Companies who are able to transfer their freight from the roads, and use alternative transportation methods such as by sea, rail and inland waterways will receive grants under the scheme. Companies and entrepreneurs from both inside and outside the European Union (EU) have until the 21 September 2012 to submit their proposals.

%$Linker: External 0 0 0 oLinkExternal Marco Polo Marco Polo false http://ec.europa.eu/transport/marcopolo false false%> aims to free Europe's roads of an annual volume of 20 billion tonne-kilometres of freight, the equivalent of more than 700,000 trucks a year travelling between Paris and Berlin. However, alternative forms of transport may well be greener, cleaner and even cheaper over time, but producers, manufacturers and hauliers can be reluctant to invest in change in what is a very competitive sector of the economy. The programme’s incentives are designed to make a difference by providing grants for eligible schemes.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Australia faces tough choices over toll tags
    September 12, 2014
    With more than seven million tolling tags nearing the end of their life, delegates to ITS Australia’s 2014 National Electronic Tolling Conference had more than a passing interest debating possible ways forward. Rex Wright, chair of the Australian Toll Road Users’ Group, said the industry was potentially facing an AUD$100million bill over the next five years but the toll operators are committed to a unified national approach, consistent with the current interoperability.
  • Associations News from around the world
    December 4, 2012
    The world’s ITS Associations participated in the ITS World Congress in Vienna, including: New Zealand, which stressed the need for future proof ITS solutions; the Netherlands; Australia called for greater ITS content in road safety strategy; ITS South Africa discussed new strategic opportunities in the country; ITS Nigeria took advantage of the World Congress to stage its global launch; UK ITS professionals were congratulated on their achievements during the Olympic Games by ITS UK; ITS Canada co-hosted a w
  • UK government gets future mobility challenge underway
    August 2, 2018
    The UK government has unveiled plans under its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge which could change how people, goods and services move around the country. These initiatives have been outlined in the Last Mile and Future of mobility call for evidence, which provide an insight into how technology could make transport safer, more accessible and greener. Under the plans, electric cargo bikes, vans, quadricycles and micro vehicles could replace vans in UK cities as part of a strategy to change last-mile
  • 10th ITS European Congress app development contest
    January 17, 2014
    ITS Finland, host of the 10th ITS European Congress, has launched the ‘ITS in your pocket’ app development competition, providing an opportunity for companies, teams and individuals to compete for a total prize sum of €100,000 (US$136,000). Apps should provide solutions to improve transport safety, efficiency and sustainability, make transport systems more comfortable and should focus on the user needs.