Ferrobonus approved by the E.U.

Strasbourg - Approval from Brussels for the incentives called for by the Financial Stability Law for the movement of freight by rail, the so-called “Ferrobonus”. According to the European Commission, the provision is in line with the E.U. rules on state assistance. The goal of the measure that the government has put forward is to encourage the use of trains for freight transport. In Italy much of freight transport is entrusted to road haulage, and the goal is to encourage competition in the internal market, and have a positive impact on the environment, “sustaining a less polluting means of transport” and “reducing the congestion of traffic on roads,” and facilitating mobility. All reasons that, according to the guidelines on state aid for the railroads, allow the state to support rail transport under certain conditions: according to the European Commission’s assessment, the Ferrobonus scheme is open to all operators, and the assistance that the companies receive is based on the reduced external costs that rail transport allows in comparison to road haulage, in particular in terms of advantages to the public.