The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) approved an opinion in which it asks to the Commission for a plan more specific, flexible, balanced and realistic in its blueprint for the future of EU transport.

The opinion approved by the European Economic and Social Committee on the recent "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system", in which the European Commission set out its vision for European transport in 2050, praises the Commission for setting ambitious targets, but highlights the mismatch between the goals, the methods needed to achieve them and the budgetary resources available. In addition, the opinion stresses that the Commission's long-term strategy lacked any specific short-term measures or targets to achieve it.

Concretely and as an example, the Commission suggested that 30% of road freight transported over more than 300 km should be shifted to other modes, such as rail or water, by 2030, with the percentage rising to more than 50% by 2050. The EESC considered that the proposal was not flexible enough and ignored the fact that rail and waterway networks were not up to this task in many parts of Europe. Also commenting specifically on the plans for road transport, the Committee stated that too much hope was being pinned on electric vehicles and new, greener fuels alone.

More generally, the Committee indicated that there was a shortfall between reality and the green targets that had been set for the transport system. The 60% reduction in CO2 across the entire transport system by 2050 was unrealistic and lacking in information as to how this could be achieved and at what cost, argued the Committee. The EESC therefore called on the Commission to put forward more specific, medium-term objectives that would enable it to measure progress in reducing oil dependence and pollution.