Archive:Enlargement countries - transport statistics

Data from October 2014. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: November 2015.

This article is part of an online publication and provides information on a range of transport statistics for the enlargement (candidate countries and potential candidates) to the European Union (EU). Montenegro, Iceland ^[1], the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey currently have candidate country status, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence) are potential candidates.

The article provides information in relation to a range of transport statistics, including the length and density of transport networks, the motorisation rate and an analysis of freight transport.

Main statistical findings

File:Length of transport networks, 2003–13 (km) 2014.png

Table 1: Length of transport networks, 2003–13
(km) - Source: Eurostat (cpc_transp) and the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (EU transport in figures, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/media/publications/index_en.htm)

File:Density of transport networks, 2013 2014.png

Table 2: Density of transport networks, 2013 - Source: Eurostat (demo_r_d3area), (demo_pjan), (cpc_transp) and (cpc_psdemo) and the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (EU transport in figures, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/media/publications/index_en.htm)

File:Motorisation rate, 2003 and 2013 (passenger cars per 1 000 inhabitants) 2014.png

Figure 1: Motorisation rate, 2003 and 2013
(passenger cars per 1 000 inhabitants) - Source: Eurostat (demo_pjan), (cpc_transp) and (cpc_psdemo) and the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (EU transport in figures, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/media/publications/index_en.htm)

File:Freight transport, 2013 2014.png

Table 3: Freight transport, 2013 - Source: Eurostat (road_go_ta_tott), (rail_go_typeall), (mar_mg_aa_cwhd) and (cpc_transp)

File:Share of road freight transport in total inland freight transport, 2003 and 2013 (¹) (%, based on tonne-km) 2014.png

Figure 2: Share of road freight transport in total inland freight transport, 2003 and 2013 (¹)
(%, based on tonne-km) - Source: Eurostat (tran_hv_frmod) and (cpc_transp)

Transport networks

In the EU-28, the road network exceeded 4.7 million kilometres (km) in length in 2011; note that this is an estimate that is influenced by the vagaries of different classifications used in the EU Member States. More standardised data for motorways are available and recent figures show that the EU-28 motorway network grew at an average annual rate of 1.8 % between 2003 and 2013, to reach 71 400 km (see Table 1).

The combined length of the road networks in the enlargement countries was approximately one tenth of that in the EU-28

Most of the enlargement countries are relatively small in terms of their total area and population numbers; hence, it is perhaps unsurprising to find that they generally had relatively small motorway networks, often less than 100 km in length. The main exception was the largest enlargement country, Turkey, where the motorway network was 2 100 km long. The motorway network in Turkey also expanded between 2003 and 2013, as the length of Turkish motorways rose, on average, by 2.0 % per annum (slightly higher than the corresponding rate in the EU-28).

A rough estimate based on the latest data available suggests that the combined length of the road networks across the seven enlargement countries was about one tenth of the length of the road network in the EU-28. Turkey had the longest road network, at 383 000 km (excluding municipality roads) in 2012, while in the same year there were almost 45 000 km of road in Serbia (the second highest value).

There were 216 000 km of railway lines in the EU-28 in 2012, which marked a slight reduction (-1.5 %) when compared with 2003, as the introduction of newly built railway lines (including high-speed networks) failed to compensate for railway lines which were taken out of service.

The length of railway lines in the enlargement countries was unchanged in Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia between 2003 and 2013, while there was a very slight expansion in Serbia (an additional 10 km of railway line). Rail networks in Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina grew at a more rapid pace, with their length rising overall by 12 % and 10 % (note that the data for Turkey only covers mainlines and that the data for Bosnia and Herzegovina relate to the period 2003–12). By contrast, there was a reduction in the length of railway lines in Albania and Kosovo (data for the latter relate to the period 2004–12).

Relative to its population, Montenegro had the densest road network among enlargement countries

Table 2 provides alternative measures of the relative importance of transport networks, presenting the density of networks in relation to total area and numbers of inhabitants. Across the EU-28, the density of the road network (excluding motorways) relative to total area was higher than in any of the enlargement countries, with an estimated 1 061 metres (m) of road per square kilometre (km²) in 2011. Montenegro and Serbia recorded the highest density of roads among the enlargement countries, with 577 m and 576 m of road per km² in 2013 and 2012. Using this measure, roads in Kosovo and Albania were spread more thinly across each territory; some 185 m and 130 m per km² in 2013.

An alterative network density measure is one which uses the number of inhabitants as its denominator. On this basis, the road network in Montenegro was denser than that of the EU-28, with an average of just over 12.8 kilometres (km) of road per 1 000 inhabitants in 2013 (almost 3.5 km of road per 1 000 inhabitants higher than the average for the EU-28 in 2011). The road networks of Albania and Kosovo were again relatively sparse, using this measure, when compared with the remaining enlargement countries, with 1.3 km and 1.1 km of road per 1 000 inhabitants in 2013.

The rail network was particularly developed in Serbia and in Montenegro

Across the EU-28, the density of railway lines was generally quite high in western and central Europe and lower in peripheral (especially sparsely populated) regions. In 2012, the rail network density of the EU-28 averaged 48.3 m per km² or 0.43 km per 1 000 inhabitants.

Serbia had the highest rail network density among the enlargement countries, both in relation to its total area and number of inhabitants. While the former was only slightly higher (at 49.3 m per km² in 2013) than the EU-28 average, Serbia’s rail network density relative to population (0.53 km per 1 000 inhabitants) was clearly above the EU-28 average. Indeed, Serbia was the only enlargement country to report a rail network density that was higher than in the EU-28. By contrast, Turkey and Albania reported the lowest ratios for their rail networks, 12.4 m and 12.0 m per km² and 0.13 km and 0.12 km per 1 000 inhabitants in 2013; note that the data for Turkey refer only to mainlines.

Motorisation rate

The principal mode of passenger transport in the EU is the passenger car, fuelled by a desire to have greater mobility and flexibility. This high reliance on the use of the car as a means of passenger transport has contributed to an increased level of congestion and pollution in many urban areas and on major transport arteries.

In the EU-28, there were an estimated 487 passenger cars per 1 000 inhabitants in 2012. This marked an increase of almost 12 % in car ownership (or 51 additional cars per 1 000 inhabitants) when compared with 2003 (see Figure 1).

Montenegro and Serbia had the highest motorisation rates among enlargement countries

The motorisation rate for the enlargement countries was considerably lower than in the EU-28. There were, on average, 288 passenger cars per 1 000 inhabitants in Montenegro and 247 per 1 000 inhabitants in Serbia in 2013; these were, by far, the highest rates among the enlargement countries. By contrast, motorisation rates in Kosovo, Turkey and Albania did not rise above 125 passenger cars per 1 000 inhabitants.

There was rapid growth in car ownership across most of the enlargement countries during the period 2003–13, with growth across the five enlargement countries for which data are available (no information for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) at a faster pace than in the EU-28. Although Albania and Turkey recorded the lowest motorisation rates in 2013, along with Montenegro they also recorded the fastest expansion in car ownership between 2003 and 2013. The highest rate of change was recorded in Albania, where the motorisation rate doubled during the period under consideration.

Freight transport

The ability to move goods safely, quickly and cost-efficiently to markets is important for international trade, national distributive trades, and economic development. The rapid increase in global trade up to the onset of the financial and economic crisis and the deepening integration of the EU, alongside a range of economic practices (including the concentration of production in fewer sites to reap economies of scale, delocalisation, and just-in-time deliveries), may explain the relatively fast growth of freight transport.

Within the EU-28, three quarters of all inland freight transport was by road in 2013, accounting for 1 572 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm). Rail was the second most popular mode for transporting inland freight (443 million tkm), while the relative importance of inland waterways was much lower (153 million tkm). The EU-28 also transported (inward and outward transport combined) 3.8 billion tonnes of sea freight in 2012 (see Table 3).

The bulk of inland freight in Serbia was transported by rail, while inland waterways also accounted for a relatively high share

The relative importance of rail freight transport was much higher in Serbia and in Montenegro where more goods were transported by rail than by road in 2013. Serbia also had a relatively high share of inland freight transport on inland waterways (essentially on the Danube).

There was a generally a high propensity to make use of roads for inland freight transport (see Figure 2). While the share of road transport in total inland freight transport was 75.1 % across the EU-28 in 2012, there was an even greater reliance on using the roads to transport freight in Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where 95.4 % and 92.4 % of inland freight was moved by road in 2013. As noted above, there was greater use made of rail for freight transport in Serbia and in Montenegro; this explains why these two countries had the lowest shares of road freight transport among the enlargement countries.

Turkey was the only enlargement country (subject to data availability) to record any notable movement of freight by sea, some 385 million tonnes in 2013: the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo are landlocked; Bosnia and Herzegovina has only one coastal town and most of its sea freight passes through Croatian ports.

Data sources and availability

Data for the enlargement countries are collected for a wide range of indicators each year through a questionnaire that is sent by Eurostat to partner countries which have either the status of being candidate countries or potential candidates. A network of contacts in each country has been established for updating these questionnaires, generally within the national statistical offices, but potentially including representatives of other data-producing organisations (for example, central banks or government ministries). The statistics shown in this article are made available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a wide range of other socio-economic indicators collected as part of this initiative.

For the EU-28, the development of passenger and freight transport statistics is based upon a raft of framework legislation and implementing legislation, generally organised according to the mode of transport under consideration.

Transport statistics are available with an annual frequency and generally begin in the early 1990s. The majority are based on movements in each reporting country, regardless of the nationality of the vehicle or vessel involved (the ‘territoriality principle’). For this reason, the measure of tonne-kilometres (tkm, in other words, one tonne of goods travelling a distance of one kilometre) is generally considered a more reliable measure when analysing freight transport statistics, as the simple use of tonnes entails a higher risk of double-counting, particularly for international transport. The modal split of inland freight transport is based on transportation by road, rail and inland waterways, and therefore excludes air, maritime and pipeline transport. It measures the share of each transport mode in total inland freight transport and is expressed in tonne-kilometres.

The weight of goods transported by rail and inland waterways is the gross-gross weight. This includes the total weight of the goods, all packaging, and the tare weight of the container, swap-body and pallets containing goods; in the case of rail freight transport, it also includes road goods vehicles that are carried by rail. By contrast, the weight measured for maritime and road freight transport is the gross weight (in other words, excluding the tare weight).

Context

An efficient and well-functioning passenger and freight transport system is vital for EU enterprises and inhabitants. The EU’s transport policy aims to foster clean, safe and efficient travel throughout Europe, underpinning the internal market for goods (transferring them between their place of production and consumption) and the right of citizens to travel freely throughout the EU (for both work and pleasure).

Transport infrastructure and transport networks are fundamental for the smooth operation of the economy, for the mobility of persons and goods and for the economic, social and territorial cohesion of a country. In September 2014, the European Commission invited EU Member States to propose projects to use EUR 11.9 billion of EU funding to improve European transport connections. This was the first tranche of the new funding for transport to be made available and also marked the largest ever single amount of EU funding earmarked for transport infrastructure. Over the period 2014–20, finance for transport was tripled to EUR 26 billion (compared with EUR 8 billion during the period 2007–13), under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

EU transport policy also seeks to ensure that passengers benefit from the same basic standards of treatment wherever they travel within the EU. With this in mind the EU legislates to protect passenger rights across the different modes of transport. Passengers already have a range of rights covering areas as diverse as: information about their journey; reservations and ticket prices; damages to their baggage; delays and cancellations; or difficulties encountered with package holidays.

While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to increase progressively the volume and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU accession process. Indeed, reliable and comparable statistics are a precondition for joining the EU: the EU acquis in the field of statistics requires the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as impartiality, reliability, transparency, confidentiality of individual data and dissemination of official statistics; it covers methodology, classifications and procedures for data collection.

Eurostat has the responsibility to ensure that the national statistical systems of the enlargement countries comply with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as training courses, traineeships, study visits, management training, and participation in meetings within the European statistical system (ESS). The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.

Additional information on international statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided here.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Key figures on the enlargement countries – 2014 edition
Key figures on the enlargement countries - 2013 edition
Pocketbook on the enlargement countries - 2012 edition
EU transport in figures

Database

Candidate countries and potential candidates (cpc), see:

Transport (cpc_tr)

Candidate countries and potential candidates: transport (cpc_transp)

Transport, see:

Multimodal data (tran)

Transport, volume and modal split (tran_hv)

Railway transport (rail)

Railway transport measurement - Goods (detailed data based on Directive 80/1177/EC or Regulation (EC) 91/2003) (rail_go)

Road transport (road)

Road transport infrastructure (road_if)

Road freight transport measurement (road_go)

Inland waterways transport (iww)

Inland waterways transport measurement - goods (iww_go)

Inland waterways transport measurement - goods - annual data (iww_go_a)

Maritime transport (mar)

Maritime transport - main annual results (mar_m)

External links

Notes

↑ Accession negotiations started in July 2010 and were put on hold by the Icelandic government in May 2013. Iceland is therefore not included in this article.

[1] Accession negotiations started in July 2010 and were put on hold by the Icelandic government in May 2013. Iceland is therefore not included in this article.

[1]