EACD Working Group: Transport

The European transport sector as a whole is on the verge of an unprecedented process of transformation – according to a European Commission communication on the future of transport, which was adopted in June this year. The industry will have to face the mega trends of aging, migration and internal mobility, environmental challenges, the availability of energy resources, urbanisation and globalisation.

THE IMPACT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY

For a lot of these challenges, a technology-based answer will be found by all of the respective modes of transport. There will be cars using alternative sources of energy, double-decker ultra high-speed trains and highly fuel-efficient aircrafts that can accommodate more than 800 passengers. None of these technologies will pose a great challenge for us communications professionals: all we would have to do is go out and brag.

THE REAL CHALLENGE FOR COMMUNICATORS

There is, however, one element in the European Commission’s strategy that will be a much greater challenge to those in the field of professional communications: it is the integrative approach to both passenger and freight transport, in which “a better exploitation of the network’s capacity and of the relative strengths of each mode could contribute significantly to reducing congestion, emissions, pollution and accidents.” This means that the different modes of transport have to complete the pioneer task of seriously cooperating with one another, thereby overcoming challenges that they could not solve on their own.

THE GOAL OF THE WORKING GROUP

I would like to set up this group in the spirit of peaceful coexistence, in order to create a platform to facilitate a new kind of exchange between the different modes of transport. There, we as communications professionals can not only marvel at each other’s initiatives in overcoming important future challenges, but we can also legitimately steal one or two of the good ideas presented by our peers. In this spirit, I look forward to the EACD working group on transport playing host to a dynamic, sector-wide exchange of information amongst numerous interested participants.