1. EUROPLATFORMS GILBERTO GALLONI PRESIDENT
“Intermodal Transport between Europe and Asia: opportunities and challenges”
Kiev – 28th Sept 2004
Good morning everybody, first of all I would to thank the organisers for the opportunity they gave me to make a short presentation today.
Let me introduce myself shortly.
My name is Gilberto Galloni, I am President of Europlatforms, the Association of European freight villages.
I am also the Managing Director of Interporto Bologna since I have been working in the transport and logistics field for 30 years.

2. Europlatforms presentation Globalization phenomenon
KIEV 28th SEPT 2004
Europlatforms presentation
Globalization phenomenon
The role of intermodal transport
This will be the content of my presentation

3. 60 Transport and Logistics Centres 8 Countries
EUROPLATFORMS PRESENTATION
60 Transport and Logistics Centres
8 Countries
Italy-Spain-Germany-Denmark-Portugal-Luxembourg-Greece-France
1.200 Transport Operators
Europlatforms joins together National transport associations and singular freight villages.
It counts 62 freight villages in 8 European Countries.
About 1200 transport operators work inside these freight villages.

4. This is the map.
You can see where our freight villages are located.

5. GLOBALIZATION PHENOMENON
In a global economy, no nation is self-sufficient. They are all involved at different levels in trade processes to sell what they produce, to acquire what they lack and also to produce more efficiently in some economic sectors than their trade partners.
Before discussing the real topic of my presentation, that is intermodal transport, a quick stop for analisying the current scenario is required.
In the last years a host of political, economic and technological changes have accelerated the trend toward globalization.
It results from the liberalization of national economies, reduction of trade barriers, freer movement of foreign direct investments across world, expanding role of mulinational firms in international production, rapid technological advancement.

6. Asia is EU third-largest regional trading partner
Asia is a crucial partner for the EU whether economically, politically or culturally.
Asia is EU third-largest regional trading partner
Asian exports to EU 21%
If globalization comes from the market opening and enlargement, speaking of globalization means speaking of one the biggest market in the world: Asia
Asian Countries have a strategic importance for European Countries.
They represent such an immense area at a few kilometres far from us with a huge development potential in all fields.
The figures you see on the slide are only an example of what Asia represents concretly.
Globalization requires cooperation between Asia and Europe so to promote prosperity, democracy, political stability and least but not last security.
Population
Trillion
3,12
GDP
Trillion $
15,65
Merchandise
imports
Billion $
1.458
Merchandise
exports
Billion $
1.620
ASIA

7. GLOBALIZATION OF PRODUCTION
GLOBALIZATION OF TRADE
TRANSPORTATION IS THE KEY
Globalisation of production is concomitant to the globalization of trade.
Trade implies a transmission of a possession in return for a counterpart, generally capital, which involves a transaction and associated flows.
Transportation is the industry that connects other industries, that makes transactions and flows movements possible.
That is why it is the key to the globalization.

8. GROWTH OF FREIGHT TRANSPORT DEMAND AND FLOWS ALL OVER THE WORLD
EFFECTS
GROWTH OF FREIGHT TRANSPORT DEMAND AND FLOWS ALL OVER THE WORLD
Intermodal transportation
improves the efficiency of global distribution when origins and destinations are distanced
With the growth of international trade and globalization of production, international transportation system have been under pressure to support the growing demand of freight flows.
Because of the involved geographical scale, most international freight movements have to circulate over several modes, especially when origins and destinations are distanced.
We can affirm that the use of Intermodal transportation improves the efficiency of global distribution.
An efficient global distribution system implies a decrease of transport costs of the total product cost.
The more efficient the transport modes and infrastructures are the cheaper transport costs will be.
International trade requires also distribution infrastructures and transportation services that can support goods exchanges between several partners

9. FREIGHT VILLAGES
A freight village is a specific area where all the activities relating to transport, logistics and goods distribution – both for national and international transit – are carried out by various operators. In order to encourage intermodal transport for goods handling, a Logistics Centre/Freight Village should preferably be served by a variety of transport methods (roads, rail, sea, inland waterways, air).
If we point out some key ideas listed before:
Intermodal transport
Distribution infrastructures
Transportation services
We move toward the freight village concept that joins together all these three aspects.
What you can see on the slide is the Europlatforms definition.

10. MODEL
You have to imagine a sort of little town with warehouses, roads, intermodal terminals first, and then customs, post offices, banks, restaurants, hotels and so on.

11. PAN-EUROPEAN RAIL TRANSPORT NETWORK
TEN & TINA
NETWORK
CORRIDOR
ARRANGEMENT
Now the question is how can Asia and Europe get nearer?
On the basis of what I have been saying, Intermodal transport can surely play an important role in making Asia and Europe closer, but many actions need to be achieved in the long term.
The implementation of corridors across Asia is the starting point.
You can see on the slide the Pan european rail transport network covering Europe and only a part of Asia.
Considering the long distances between Europe and Asia, you can not imagine to move goods from point A to point B by a sole trip, so the definition of nodal points along corridors, that is freight villages or interconnection points, for shunting operations could be useful.
PAN-EUROPEAN RAIL TRANSPORT NETWORK

12. 4th Framework Programme
FACTS NOT WORDS
Funded by the European Commission under the transport RTD Programme of the
4th Framework Programme
RESULTS
1.The use of intermodal transport is higher inside the FVs than outside.
2. The transport companies, located inside the FVs, have a higher turnover coming from the intermodality than the companies operating outside the freight villages
3. A higher productivity values of transport companies both for the total flows and the R/R flows.
Maybe someone of you knows the FV2000 project co-funded by the European Commission – DGVII - within the Fourth Framework R&D Programme.
We have affirmed that the use of Intermodal transportation improves the efficiency of global distribution
We have proved in a concrete form and with the support of data, that the increase of intermodality is possible just inside the Freight villages as result of the concentration of all the private freight transport operators, warehouses and goods.

13. Infrastructures Investiments Security BOTTLENECKS
Which are the obstacles that can slow this process?
The lack of specialised infrastructures allowing goods to be moved from their origins to their destinations. Efficiencies or deficiencies in transport infrastructures will either promote or slow international trade
The realization of freight villages and the implementation of infrastructures need high investments that can be supported only by Public Authorities together with a group of private partners, that means PPP private public partnership. This the most used model in Europe.
The lack of data and information about the transport processes is another bottlenecks to the transportation system implementation.

14. Cooperation between EU ans ASIA Countries
SOLUTIONS
Cooperation between EU ans ASIA Countries
Cooperation on regional and sub-regional level among all ASIA Countries
Homogenization of legal, political, economic setting
Improvement of security
How can this situation be managed?
Cooperation between Europe and Asia and between all Asian Countries themselves is maybe the most important tool followed by the other items you can see on the slide.

15. EUROPE TO ASIA AND VICEVERSA
ASEM Asia-Europe Meeting – 1996
Fostering Political Dialogue
Reinforcing Economic Cooperation
Promoting Cooperation in other Areas
And just of cooperation we speak, mentioning the ASEM – Asia Europe meeting experience, whose objectives are the ones you can see on the slide, and the engagement of UNECE and ECMT.

16. Thank you for your attention