EU grants to get freight off the roads

Groups of hauliers, their associations, highways authorities and transport service providers have been asked to bid for €57m (£39m) in grants this year from the European Union's (EU) renewed Marco Polo freight reform programme. It is designed to move freight off EU roads and on to rail, short-sea and inland shipping or forms of combined transport.

The European Commission (EC) has just issued its first formal calls for project proposals meeting this goal under a new €400m (£270m) 2007-13 Marco Polo programme, which is far better funded than its 2003-6 predecessor: 2007 spending is €22m (£15m) more than in 2006.

The EC stresses that the enlarged programme would target large projects. Its general aim, Brussels says, is to "help companies during the high-risk start-up phase of new services for shifting freight off the road and on to short-sea shipping, rail and inland waterways", with top-ranked projects offered "grant contracts of up to six years". The EC wants market sustainability: "Only projects that can survive on the market even after they cease receiving EU financial support have a chance at receiving a grant." Applicants must apply in groups, covering at least two European countries.

Looking at the detailed funding guidelines, the smallest subsidies available are for training programmes and exchanges - a minimum €250,000 (£170,000) for a maximum 50% of total project costs. An important new priority is large production logistics initiatives that would see manufacturers working with transport services to create business models that reduce freight traffic by at least 25 million vehicle-kilometres.

nwww.ec.europa.eu/transport/marcopolo/guide_proposers/index_en.htm