Eco-hubs

Creating a sustainable future, economically, socially and environmentally is critically dependent on sustainable transport. Freight transport and logistics will have a central role in EU’s transformation into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. The flagship initiative “Resource efficient Europe” of the Europe 2020 Strategy sets specific objectives in terms of:

Resource efficiency and decarbonisation, to be achieved through “a low-carbon, resource efficient and competitive transport system based on modernised transport networks”.
Economic growth compatible with sustainability, by “decoupling environmental impacts from economic growth, while assuring the competitiveness and innovative character of the European transport industry”.

The challenge is to transform the knowledge gained in recent years to establish measures capable of being adopted throughout Europe at a scale and magnitude commensurate with the EU policy impact targets. This perspective demands in depth understanding of prevailing conditions along characteristic European freight corridors in terms of transport business intensity, traffic density and its impacts, availability of intelligent infrastructure, and potential problems for stakeholders and society at large. Critical pre-condition for solutions is cooperation between cargo managers and transport services providers thus ensuring real-time supply chain visibility under various operational conditions.