EU environmental legislation: existing and proposed legislation and the potential impact on public transport
With the background of climate change and energy efficiency, environmental policy has developed to one of the top policy areas on the European level. Public transport is affected directly or indirectly by a whole range of legislation covering inter alia sustainable development, climate change, internalisation of external costs, energy efficiency, pollutant emissions, noise or urban mobility. On the one hand, opportunities arise to promote public transport as an environmental friendly mode of transport with high energy efficiency, low emissions, low accident rates and low space consumption compared to the private car. On the other hand, policy-makers want the public transport sector to go even greener and want it to take lead even if its overall part in emissions is little. This brochure is now in its third edition and provides a comprehensive overview of existing and proposed European legislation and its potential impact on the public transport sector up-to-date in spring 2009. It does not aim to be complete but rather focuses on the most recent and most relevant legislation.