Summary Report (Page 4 of 4)

Appendix A: Interview Questions

Questions for EU Officials/Institutional and Policy Focus

The primary intent of these questions was to understand the history of, and current situation with, the influence of EU policies and actions on freight movement in Europe. This set of questions focused on the institutional structure and policy framework for EU decisions (and responses from the market).

Primary Questions

1. Please discuss how EU freight policies are formulated and implemented. What are the current EU freight policies as they relate to freight movement within the EU? As they relate to trade with non-EU nations in Europe? As they relate to trade with North America?
2. What were the major freight-related challenges faced by the EU during its creation, e.g., institutional relationships, regulatory consistency, financial needs, environmental policies, operational strategies, etc.?
3. Has the existence of the European Union changed policies or operating considerations for freight movement among member nations? If so, how?
4. What has been the effect of EU policies (e.g., the removal of trade barriers and tariffs) on the amount and type of freight shipped and on the method of shipment?
5. Border crossings can be major bottlenecks in a continental transportation system. To what extent has the EU achieved regulatory uniformity for border crossings in:
   • customs clearances at national borders?
   • truck size and weight?
   • labor and safety regulation?
   • national defense considerations?
   • public health?
   What differences still remain and how will they be dealt with? How are these issues dealt with for non-EU member border crossings?
6. What problems has an "open borders" policy created for freight logistics and for infrastructure providers?
7. With hindsight, what should have been done differently to more effectively consider freight movement within the context of the EU?
8. What issues do you see challenging freight movement within the EU? Where do you see common points of interest between the EU and NAFTA nations? Are new or stronger transatlantic relationships needed to deal with future freight needs?

Secondary Questions

1. Are freight facilitation issues faced by the European Union the same or different than issues addressed individually by members prior to the development of the EU?
2. To what extent does the EU focus on regional (within Europe) transport issues as compared to the EU as a whole?
3. To what extent do national boundaries serve to define economic submarkets? Or has the concept of an economic market now transcended national boundaries?
4. Are there economic, safety, vehicle size/weight, driver utilization regulations that govern EU freight movements (outside the context of border crossings)? If so, how are these regulations developed and applied? How do these regulations and taxation policies affect pricing?
5. To what extent have the various modal providers of transportation services cooperated in developing common technology standards? What has been the role of the EU or individual national governments in fostering such cooperation?
6. Is there any EU policy aimed at diverting freight movement from one mode to another, e.g., from highway to rail or water? If so, how does the EU or member nations participate in developing and implementing such policies?

Questions for EU Officials/Planning and Financing Focus

The purpose of these questions was to understand the role of the EU in the planning and financing of transportation infrastructure. The focus was to be on process, data, analysis and respective roles of the public and private sectors.

Primary Questions

1. What major changes from the freight trends of the past 25 years are you expecting over the next 25 years? What are the major driving forces (for example, time-sensitive delivery and e-commerce) behind these trends?
2. What role does the EU have in identifying transportation system bottlenecks and in solving them?
3. What type of data on freight volumes is collected? Who has responsibility for what types of data? How is this data used for system management decisions?
4. Are performance measures used to monitor the performance of the transportation system as it relates to freight mobility? If so, what are they and how are they developed? Do EU members have their own transportation system performance measures as they relate to freight movements? If so, how do they relate to EU measures?
5. What types of forecasting methods or approaches are typically used to predict future freight movement within and beyond the EU? Who does this forecasting?
6. The EU is known as an international leader in linking infrastructure investment planning to broader societal goals relating to sustainable development, environmental quality, etc. How have such considerations been incorporated into the planning and decision making for freight facilities?
7. How are freight facilities having international significance financed? Does the EU play a role in securing necessary financing? What types of government subsidies are provided for capital improvements and operations of freight facilities (rail, aviation, water, trucking, intermodal, etc.)?
8. What role does the private sector play in identifying important investments? desired policies? or in funding projects?
9. What intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies have proven most useful in enhancing freight productivity in the EU? What has been the role of the EU in fostering such technology applications? What future ITS applications will receive increasing attention from government and industry?

Secondary Questions

1. How are local, provincial, national and international communities and groups incorporated into the planning process for freight facilities improvements that have international impacts (such as port facilities)? How is planning and implementation done for multi-nation transportation corridors?
2. Have increasing freight volumes led to innovative and creative uses of transportation infrastructure, e.g., freight exclusive lanes, pricing schemes, time-of-day use and bans, etc?
3. How are competing interests between passenger and freight use of the transportation system dealt with, e.g., rail facilities or roads? Do passenger railroads have a long-term strategy that includes a potentially larger role for freight movement?
4. How does research and development on freight issues of interest to the EU get funded? Do the public and private sectors share risks in this research?

Questions for National Government Officials

Primary Questions

1. Has the existence of the European Union changed your country's policies or operating considerations for freight movement?
2. What have been the trends in your governmental financing of freight-related transportation infrastructure? For example, what has been the investment history in ports, airports, inland waterways, roads, intermodal terminals, etc.?
3. How are local, provincial, national and international communities and groups incorporated into the planning process for freight facilities improvements that have international impacts (such as port facilities)? How is planning and implementation done for multi-nation transportation corridors?
4. How are freight facilities that have international significance financed? To what extent does the existence of the Common Market help in securing necessary financing? What types of government subsidies are provided for capital improvements and operations of freight facilities (rail, aviation, water, trucking, intermodal, etc.)?
5. Europe is known as an international leader in linking infrastructure investment planning to broader societal goals relating to sustainable development, environmental quality, etc. How have such considerations been incorporated into the planning and decision making for freight facilities?
6. Are performance measures used to monitor the performance of the transportation system as it relates to freight mobility? If so, what are they and how are they developed? If so, how do they relate to EU system performance measures?
7. How are investments in freight facilities evaluated in the context of their role in international trade? For example, are benefit/cost analyses used in such evaluations? If so, how are benefits assessed?
8. How are freight movement considerations incorporated into the planning for major highways?
9. Have increasing freight volumes led to innovative and creative uses of transportation infrastructure, e.g., freight exclusive lanes, pricing schemes, time-of-day use and bans, etc?
10. What major changes from the freight trends of the past 25 years are you expecting over the next 25 years? What are the major driving forces behind these trends?

Secondary Questions

1. What has been the effect of globalization of the market place on the freight industry in your country? On the freight industry in the EU? What have been the corresponding effects on your country's transportation system? On the transportation system in Europe?
2. What effect does road congestion and transportation bottlenecks have on logistics and equipment usage? Does congestion on the road network act as a "pricing" mechanism to encourage the use of alternative modes?
3. What types of forecasting methods or approaches are typically used to predict future freight movement? Who does this forecasting? And how are these forecasts made consistent with any that are done by the EU?
4. What role does the private sector play in identifying important investments? desired policies? in funding projects?
5. What intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies have proven most useful in enhancing freight productivity in the EU? What has been the role of our government and/or the EU in fostering such technology applications? What future ITS applications will receive increasing attention from government and industry?
6. How are competing interests between passenger and freight use of the transportation system dealt with, e.g., rail facilities or roads? Do passenger railroads have a long-term strategy that includes a potentially larger role for freight movement?
7. Have B2B and B2C business strategies had any impact on the location of business activities in the EU? Has the EU or any national government undertaken any policy initiative relating to "guiding" or "managing" the resulting transportation impacts of these business strategies?

Questions for Transportation Facility Operators

Primary Questions

1. How has the movement of freight movement through your facility changed over the past 25 years (by mode, if appropriate)? Specifically, has the creation of the European Union caused significant changes in freight movement and/or in the way you view your business? If so, how?
2. What has been the effect of the removal of trade barriers and tariffs on the amount and type of freight shipped and on the method of shipment? How do differing regulatory and taxation policies among European nations affect logistics decisions?
3. What types of access constraints do you experience at your facility?
4. How are local, provincial, national and international communities and groups incorporated into the planning process for freight facility improvements that have international impacts (such as port facilities)? What is your involvement in the planning for multi-nation transportation corridors?
5. How are investments in freight facilities evaluated in the context of role in international trade? For example, are benefit/cost analyses used in such evaluations? If so, how are benefits assessed?
6. How are freight facilities having international significance financed? What are the respective roles of the the EU? Your national government? The provincial or local government? Your agency? Specifically, what types of government subsidies are provided for capital improvements and operations of freight facilities (rail, aviation, water, trucking, intermodal, etc.)? What role does the private sector play in identifying important investments? desired policies? or in funding projects?
7. What intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies have proven most useful in enhancing the productivity of freight movement at your facility? In particular, how have such technologies been used to improve land side access to your facility? What has been your role and that of the EU in fostering such technology applications? What future ITS applications will receive increasing attention from government and industry?
8. How are the rapid changes in Internet-based logistics affecting the movement of freight in the EU, and in particular the freight using your facility?
9. Have business to business (B2B) and business to customer (B2C) e-commerce strategies had any impact on the location of business activities in the EU? Has the EU or any national government undertaken any policy initiative relating to "guiding" or "managing" the resulting transportation impacts of these business strategies?
10. What major changes from the freight trends of the past 25 years are you expecting over the next 25 years? What are the major driving forces behind these trends?

Secondary Questions

1. What effect does road congestion and transportation bottlenecks have on logistics and equipment usage? Does congestion on the road network act as a "pricing" mechanism to encourage the use of alternative modes?
2. Have increasing freight volumes led to innovative and creative uses of transportation infrastructure, e.g., freight exclusive lanes, pricing schemes, time-of-day use and bans, etc?
3. What has been the effect of larger and deeper draft ships on port business? Has this effect changed the distribution of freight movement among various ports?
4. How has rail intermodal service grown in Europe in recent history and what are the projected trends? What are the major changes occurring in the rail freight industry, and what is causing these changes?
5. To what extent is investment occurring in inland and coastal waterway systems as 1) a distribution system within Europe and 2) as an access system to international trade centers?
6. What are the trends in containerization versus other types of cargo moving through ports in Europe?

Questions for Industry/Shippers

Primary Questions

1. Has the existence of the European Union changed your (or your industry's) policies or operating considerations for freight movement among member EU nations? If so, how? How has it affected freight operations with non-EU nations?
2. What has been the effect of EU policies (e.g., the removal of trade barriers and tariffs) on the amount and type of freight shipped and on the method of shipment? What do you consider to be the single biggest benefit from the EU with regard to freight operations? What do you consider to be the most significant remaining barrier to more efficient freight operations within the EU?
3. Border crossings can be major bottlenecks in a continental transportation system. To what extent has the EU achieved regulatory uniformity for border crossings in:
   • customs clearances at national borders?
   • truck size and weight?
   • labor and safety regulation?
   • national defense considerations?
   • public health?
   What differences still remain and how will they be dealt with? How are these issues dealt with for non-EU member border crossings? To what extent have various modal providers of transportation services cooperated in developing common technology standards? What has been the role of the EU or individual national governments in fostering such cooperation?
4. What challenges has an "open borders" policy created for freight logistics? For those responsible for providing transportation facilities and infrastructure?
5. With hindsight, what should have been done differently to more effectively consider freight movement within the context of the EU?
6. What major changes from the freight trends of the past 25 years are you expecting over the next 25 years? What are the major driving forces behind these trends?
7. How are freight facilities having international significance financed? Does the EU play a role in securing necessary financing? What types of government subsidies are provided for capital improvements and operations of freight facilities (rail, aviation, water, trucking, intermodal, etc.)? What role does the private sector play in identifying important investments? desired policies? or in funding projects?
8. What intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies have proven most useful in enhancing freight productivity in the EU? What has been the role of the EU in fostering such technology applications? What has been the role of industry in fostering such technology applications? What future ITS applications will receive increasing attention from government and industry?
9. How does research and development on freight issues of interest to the EU get funded? Do the public and private sectors share risks in this research?

Secondary Questions

1. What effect does road congestion and transportation bottlenecks have on logistics and equipment usage? Does congestion on the road network act as a "pricing" mechanism to encourage the use of alternative modes?
2. Have increasing freight volumes led to innovative and creative uses of transportation infrastructure, e.g., freight exclusive lanes, pricing schemes, time-of-day use and bans, etc?
3. How are competing interests between passenger and freight use of the transportation system dealt with, e.g., rail facilities or roads? Do passenger railroads have a long-term strategy that includes a potentially larger role for freight movement?
4. What has been the effect of globalization of the economy on your business? What has been the effect on Europe's transportation system?
5. How are the rapid changes in Internet-based logistics affecting your business? The movement of freight in the EU?
6. Has the rapid integration of Internet-based logistics into business decision making had any impact on the location of where business activities occur in the EU? Has the EU or any national government undertaken any policy initiative relating to "guiding" or "managing" the resulting transportation impacts of these business strategies?
7. What has been the effect of larger and deeper draft ships on port business? Has this effect changed the distribution of freight movement among various ports?
8. How has rail intermodal service grown in Europe in recent history and what are the projected trends? What are the major changes occurring in the rail freight industry, and what is causing these changes?
9. To what extent is investment occurring in inland and coastal waterway systems as 1) a distribution system within Europe and 2) as an access system to international trade centers?
10. What are the trends in containerization versus other types of cargo moving through ports in Europe?

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