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<\/p>\nThe European Commission today adopted a comprehensive transport package. It will accelerate the roll-out of Europe’s high-speed rail network and to boost investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels for the aviation and waterborne sectors.<\/p>\n
Competitiveness and sustainability are the guiding principles of this package, which aims to make the EU transport system more efficient, interconnected, accessible, clean and resilient. The measures presented last November 5 cover two key areas \u2013 rail, where Europe already leads on sustainability, and fuels, where Europe must now accelerate investments for its energy transition.<\/p>\n
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Faster, more connected rail across Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n The new\u00a0High-Speed Rail Action Plan<\/strong>\u00a0sets out the steps needed to create a faster, more interoperable and better-connected European network by\u00a02040<\/strong>. It aims to cut journey times and make rail a more attractive alternative to short-haul air travel, thus increasing passenger numbers and boosting regional economies and tourism.<\/p>\n Building on the\u00a0Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), the plan foresees to connect major nodes at speeds of 200 km\/h and above. Passengers will be able to travel from\u00a0Berlin to Copenhagen in four hours instead of the current seven<\/strong>, and from\u00a0Sofia to Athens in six hours instead of the current 13 hours and 40 minutes<\/strong>. New cross-border links will also enable faster and simpler journeys such as\u00a0Paris\u2013Lisbon via Madrid<\/strong>\u00a0and improved connectivity between the\u00a0Baltic capitals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n To deliver this vision, the Commission proposes four key strands of action:<\/p>\n Beyond shorter travel times, the plan will ease congestion and free up capacity on conventional lines, facilitating night trains, freight transport, and military mobility, while strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in tourism and industry.<\/p>\n Scaling up investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels<\/strong><\/p>\n The second initiative adopted today \u2013 the\u00a0Sustainable Transport Investment Plan<\/strong>\u00a0(STIP)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 sets out a common approach to boost investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels focusing on aviation and waterborne transport.<\/p>\n To meet the\u00a0RefuelEU Aviation<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0FuelEU Maritime<\/strong>\u00a0targets, around\u00a020 million tonnes of sustainable fuels<\/strong>\u00a0(biofuels and e-fuels) will be needed by 2035. Achieving this will require an estimated\u00a0\u20ac100 billion<\/strong>\u00a0in investment.<\/p>\n The STIP sends a clear signal to investors that Europe’s targets remain in place and that the Commission will support the transition to a climate neutral economy. By accelerating domestic production of biological and non-biological fuels, Europe can reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels, enhance the competitiveness of its industries and lead the clean-energy transition globally.<\/p>\n Key investment measures aiming to\u00a0mobilise at least \u20ac2.9 billion through EU instruments<\/strong>\u00a0by 2027 include:<\/p>\n\n