Policy makers and top managers of the most important transport operators, manufacturers and logistic companies will gather in Brussels on 9-10 March at a conference convened by Vice President Tajani to discuss the future challenges for the transport sector and kick off the preparation of the 2010 White Paper on the Future of Transport Policy.

"Transport is in a crucial transition period. We need to look beyond the current crisis and understand that innovation and technological development, globalisation, sustainability, and the saturation of infrastructures call for a profound transformation in the way the transport system operates. We have to rethink our concept of mobility and for this reason I would like to engage all main actors into a common reflection with the ultimate goal to prepare in 2010 the next White Paper on the future of transport policy," said Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for transport.

Alongside stakeholders, and policy-makers, academics and representatives of Member States, European Institutions and NGOs have been invited to the conference to contribute their vision. There will be four workshops focussing on urban, freight and passenger transport and on the challenges of sustainable mobility, chaired by former Commission Vice-President and Transport Commissioner Karel Van Miert, former DG TREN Director General Robert Coleman, and the head of Vice-President Tajani’s cabinet, Antonio Preto. Speakers include some of the most important European CEOs of transport companies such as Mr. Spinetta (Air France), Mr. Moretti (Ferrovie dello Stato), Mr. Grimaldi (Grimaldi Group), Mr. Lacny (JMJ-TRANS) and mayors of various European cities, including Mr. Demszky, Major of Budapest that recently won the European Mobility Week.

The discussions are meant to help the Commission draft a Communication on the Future on Transport, to be adopted in June 2009, preparing the ground for the 2010 White Paper, which will include a set of ambitious policy measures to tackle the long term challenges of transport policy.