Wednesday, February 5th, 2025
ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe) has joined 44 leading transport and logistics organisations in signing an open letter to EU Ministers of General Affairs and Economic and Financial Affairs calling for the maintenance and strengthening of a dedicated European transport funding instrument in the future EU budget.
Why a strong EU transport budget is essential
The transport sector is the backbone of the EU internal market, ensuring the seamless movement of goods and people, connecting businesses and consumers, and supporting Europe’s economic resilience, competitiveness and welfare. However, recent discussions on the future EU budget have raised concerns that a significant proportion of transport funding could be redirected to National Single Plans, potentially undermining the coordinated development of Europe’s transport infrastructure, fragmenting markets and creating unnecessary costs and barriers for achieving climate neutrality, in particular undermining intermodality and electrification of long distance freight transport movements.
Since the 1993 Jacques Delors white paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment, European policymakers have recognised the strategic importance of trans-European transport networks (TEN-T). More recently, the Draghi and Letta reports have reaffirmed that a well-functioning European transport network is key to economic growth, job creation, and social cohesion.
A centrally coordinated EU transport budget is essential to:
Without a dedicated funding instrument at EU level, there is a risk that transport infrastructure development, associated services and innovation framework will be fragmented, with national approaches jeopardizing European connectivity, competitiveness and resilience. Such an approach could lead to:
Especially in uncertain times, Europe cannot afford to reduce connectivity or weaken its European transport network. A strong and centrally coordinated funding instrument is needed to ensure strategic, long-term investment in transport infrastructure as a key enabler for the single market and global competitiveness.
At ALICE, we are committed to supporting collaborative innovation in logistics and supply chains, ensuring that transport networks evolve to meet future challenges. Efficient and well-funded European transport infrastructure is fundamental to achieving net-zero logistics, digital transformation, and supply chain resilience.
We call on EU policymakers to maintain and strengthen a dedicated European transport funding instrument to secure Europe’s competitiveness, sustainability, and economic stability.
ALICE encourages industry stakeholders, policymakers, and research institutions to get involved in shaping the future of European transport funding. By working together, we can ensure that transport networks remain efficient, sustainable, and resilient, driving Europe’s progress towards a climate-neutral and competitive future.