"Transport is a key factor in modern economies. However, there is a permanent contradiction between
society, which demands ever more mobility, and public opinion, which is becoming increasingly intolerant of chronic delays and the poor quality of some transport services. As demand for transport keeps increasing, the
Community’s answer cannot be just to build new infrastructure and open up markets. The transport system needs to be optimised to meet the demands of enlargement and sustainable development, as set out in the conclusions of
the Gothenburg European Council. A modern transport system must be sustainable from an economic and social as well as an environmental viewpoint.

Plans for the future of the transport sector must take account of its economic importance. Total expenditure runs to some EUR 1 000 billion, which is more than 10 % of gross domestic product. The sector employs more than 10
million people. It involves infrastructure and technologies whose cost to society is such that there must be no errors of judgment. Indeed, it is because of the scale of investment in transport and its determining role in economic growth that the authors of the Treaty of Rome made provision for a common transport policy with its own specific rules" (Policy Guidelines, Chaper 1 of the White Paper).