EU 'Marco Polo' Freight Transport Project

European Commission gives financial aid to encourage switch to 'greener' transport solutions

Marco Polo aims to ease road congestion and its attendant pollution by promoting a switch to greener transport modes for European freight traffic. Railways, sea-routes and inland waterways have spare capacity.

Companies with viable projects to shift freight from roads to greener modes can turn to Marco Polo for financial support. More than 500 companies have already done so successfully since the programme was launched.. Every year, a new batch of projects qualify for funding.

What does the programme do? Marco Polo co-funds direct modal-shift or traffic avoidance projects and projects providing supporting services which enable freight to switch from road to other modes efficiently and profitably. Funding is in the form of an outright grant. It is not a loan to be repaid later.

Applicants must meet a series of conditions to obtain a grant. Grants cover a share of costs associated with the launch and operation of a new modal-shift project, but must be supported by results. A grant gives financial support in the crucial start-up phase of a project before it pays its way to viability. Grants last from two to five years. Projects should be commercially viable by the time the funding stops. Successful participation in a Marco Polo project enhances a company's green credentials.

Marco Polo is user-driven. If a company has a project to transfer traffic from road to other modes or to avoid road transport, it may qualify for a grant. A project has to involve a cross-border route. It has to make economic as well as ecological sense.  Commercial undertakings, whether privately or publicly owned, can apply for funding. The current programme runs until 2013 with an annual grant budget of about €60 million.