The European Commission launched an initiative to speed up the deployment of new transport means and solutions to achieve a competitive and affordable European transport system. In particular, it will focus on the definition of a set of roadmaps on the deployment of technologies and innovation in 10 critical areas of transport.

An initiative launched by the European Commission in the form of a Communication, aims to accelerate development and market uptake of new transport technologies in ten different fields of interest for which roadmaps towards deployment will be developed. This set of roadmaps, that will start in September 2012, has as specific objective to speed up the deployment of new transport means and solutions to achieve a competitive and affordable European transport system. The European Commission presented on 28 March 2011 its EU's comprehensive Transport 2050 Strategy.

The ten different fields of interest listed by the European Commission in order to achieve such objective are clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart road vehicles; Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart aircraft; Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart vessels; Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart rail vehicles; Smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure; Europe-wide alternative fuel distribution infrastructures; Efficient modal traffic management systems (including capacity and demand management); Integrated cross-modal information and management services; Seamless logistics; and Integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport.

The Commission announced that industry, the public sector and other stakeholders involved in bringing innovative transport technologies and services to the market will be invited to participate in further developing and implementing this strategy, for example by agreeing common targets, coordinating development and deployment agenda's, considering the needs for standards and identifying funding implications.