Growth in the transport of goods exceeds overall economic growth and road transport has, since the early 1990s, been the primary mode of transport in the EU. Reliance on road transport is a cause of heavy congestion and thus reduced economic efficiency, as well as being a major source of pollution and carbon dioxide emissions in Europe. A series of EU programmes have been in place since the early 1990s to improve the environmental performance of the freight transport system.
The Marco Polo Programme was proposed following the 2001 White Paper on Transport, in which intermodality was a key concept. It was launched in 2003 to improve the sustainability and efficiency of the transport sector. The programme provides grants to transport service operators to facilitate a shift from the road to more environmentally friendly methods of transportation, such as short sea shipping, rail and inland waterways or a combination of modes of transport in which road journeys are as short as possible. The idea is to assist supporting intermodal freight transport initiatives and alternatives to road-only transport in the early stages until they become commercially viable. It has been estimated that every one euro in grants to Marco Polo will generate at least six euros in social and environmental benefits.
Marco Polo II 2007-2013
Marco Polo II is more ambitious than its predecessor. It has a larger budget and supports new types of actions in an extended area that includes neighbouring non-EU contries.
The programme provides support for measures that reduce congestion, improve the environmental performance of the transport system and enhance intermodal transport. Marco Polo II contains two new types of action – the motorways of the seas and traffic avoidance measures – which were not included in the first Marco Polo Programme. In all, five distinct types of action are supported:
Modal shift actions: These aim to shift as much freight as economically meaningful under current market conditions from road to short sea shipping, rail and inland waterways. They may propose the start-up of new services or significantly enhance existing services. Under the first Marco Polo Programme, modal shift actions accounted for approximately three quarters of the budget.
Catalyst actions: One of three types of actions supported through the original Marco Polo Programme. The goal here is to change the way non-road freight transport is conducted in the EU. Support is provided to innovative proposals aimed at overcoming structural market barriers in European freight transport.
Common learning actions: The third type of action, also found in the original Marco Polo Programme. The objective here is to enhance knowledge in the freight logistics sector and foster advanced methods and procedures of cooperation in the freight market.
Motorways of the sea actions: These aim to shift freight from long road distances to a combination of short sea shipping and other modes of transport.
Traffic avoidance actions: The objective is to integrate transport into production logistics. This should lead to a reduced freight transport demand by road with a direct impact on emissions. It is emphasised that actions of this type shall not adversely affect either output or the labour workforce.