TransAlpine issues

1
Trans-Alpine issues

• Seminar Charges for Heavy Goods Vehicles
• IMPRINT-EUROPE, one-day workshop
• Brussels, 1 October 2003
• Stefan SuterEcoplan, Economic Research and
  Policy Consultancy, CH-Berne www.ecoplan.ch

2
Content of the presentation

• Introduction
• Alps as sensitive area Consequences for
  pricing/charges
• Impacts of new charging regimes
• Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
  perspective and the new Eurovignette directive

3
Possible criteria to define sensitive areas
2 The Alps as sensitive area Consequences for
pricing/charges
Source Ecoplan, 2002
4
Alpine-specific costs of road freight transport
2 The Alps as sensitive area Consequences for
pricing/charges
5
First estimates of the Alpine-specific mark-up
3 Impacts of new charging regimes

• PETS Alpine freight case study (marginal costs)

• Infrastructure costs approx. 20
• Accident costs approx. 10 (very tentative!)
• Environmental costs approx. 50
• Total approx. 35 (without environmental costs
  approx. 19)

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Changes in transport charges Selected corridors
3 Impacts of new charging regimes

• PETS Scenario SMCProad

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Changes in transport charges In- / outside the
Alps
3 Impacts of new charging regimes

• PETS SMCP

8
Changes in transport charges
3 Impacts of new charging regimes

• PETS Scenario SMCP and Fund

• Cross-subsidisation within the Alpine region
• Road contributes 75 to the infrastructure
  deficit of rail

Additional passage charges

• Road freight transport 94 (or 7.6 per ton)
• Rail freight transport 3633 (or 4.1 per ton)

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Changes in modal split
3 Impacts of new charging regimes
10
Changes in transport volumes Road freight
3 Impacts of new charging regimes
11
Charges in comparison with other instruments
3 Impacts of new charging regimes
12
Preliminary Conclusions
3 Impacts of new charging regimes

• Need for action Inside but especially outside
  the Alps
• Modal split and volume effect with currently
  discussed price levels Very limited, negative
  in the case of Switzerland
• Important Productivity gains and new concepts in
  rail transport (e.g. new system of unaccompanied
  rolling motorway)
• Additional pricing measures Needed and justified

13
ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective

• Improving acceptability gt Equity and
  participation issues not only efficiency
• Interoperabilitygt European standards
• Role / limits of economic theory in policy
  makinggt No expert mechanism, but scientific
  support to decision-making

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ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective
Multiple objectives multiple instruments

• Variety of objectives gt variety of instruments
  and policy measures
• Objectives Set by politics
• Pricing and financing instruments needed

15
ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective
The role of social marginal cost pricing

• Implementation problems
• Difficult price signals
• Practicability and effectiveness versus
  efficiency
• Important signpost, e.g. for differentiation of
  charges

16
ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective
The Alps as sensitive area

• Sensitive areas Alps and others
• Region of the Alpine Convention
• Burden limits - not only mark-up

17
ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective
Cross-financing

• Cross-financing Legitimate and useful
• Well-defined rules
• Distributional, not only efficiency issue
• No exclusive earmarking for the transport sector

18
ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective
Harmonisation of pricing schemes

• Territoriality and non-discrimination
• Harmonisation of methodology in cost calculation
• Full cost recovery, incl. environmental costs
• Contradiction Upper/lower limits
• Charge setting Objectives vs. costs

19
ALP-NET results vs. the new Eurovignette directive
4 Conclusions Recommendations from an Alpine
Perspective
New directive Opportunity window

• Activities in several countries Need for a
  framework
• ALP-NET Discussion forum for the new proposal

20
Trans-Alpine issues

• Seminar Charges for Heavy Goods Vehicles
• IMPRINT-EUROPE, one-day workshop
• Brussels, 1 October 2003
• Stefan SuterEcoplan, Economic Research and
  Policy Consultancy, CH-Berne www.ecoplan.ch