With 101 proposals received by the call deadline, the third Marco Polo II call for project proposals has attracted a record number of submissions in 2010, beating all previous calls launched since 2007 (70 proposals received in 2009, 46 in 2008 and 55 in 2007). Altogether, the funding requests arising from the 101 project proposals amount to € 235 million this year, against an annual programme budget of € 64 million.

The 2010 call attracted proposals in all five Marco Polo key actions, with 'modal shift' in the lead as far as the number of submissions, followed by 'common learning', 'motorways of the sea', 'traffic avoidance' and 'catalyst actions'.

Among all 'modal shift' proposals, about half target rail transport, more than one third focus on short-sea shipping and nearly one tenth address inland waterways transport. For the second time in a row, the programme attracted proposals for traffic avoidance projects aiming at tackling the problem of road congestion at source.

"The excellent response to our call goes to show that the transport industry around Europe is receptive to the Marco Polo message. With the first signs of economic recovery, the idea of a more sustainable, efficient transport system around Europe does appeal to the transport and logistic business. This encourages us in our efforts to promote the funding opportunities available under Marco Polo, and to provide prospective applicants with the assistance they need." said Patrick Lambert, Director of the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), which is in charge of managing the programme.

The 2010 Call for proposals was launched on 17 March and closed on 18 May 2010. The main novelties of the 2010 call included specific budget earmarks within the annual budget, namely a 20% budget priority for motorways of the sea actions and a 10% budget priority for inland waterways projects. The call also offered more favourable conditions of access, with the inclusion of empty containers and semitrailers in the calculation of freight weights shifted, and the possibility for single undertakings to apply. The 2€ funding per 500 tonne-kilometre shifted or avoided was maintained following last year's successful call.

During the month of June, the EACI will call upon a panel of external experts to pre-evaluate all 101 proposals received. A thorough evaluation phase will follow in September, with an evaluation committee consisting of representatives of the EACI and the European Commission. After that, the EACI will draw up a shortlist of proposals recommended for Marco Polo funding, to be put forward for the Commission's approval by early October.  

Media Contact:

Mr Andrea Pascal, EACI
Tel: +32 (0)2 29 90452        

E-mail: andrea.pascal@ec.europa.eu

About Marco Polo:

Marco Polo is the EU funding programme for freight transporters, shippers and logistic operators that are committed to the sustainable transport of goods across Europe. Marco Polo pursues the reduction of congestion on Europe's roads by shifting freight off the road to more environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as short-sea shipping, rail and inland waterways.

http://ec.europa.eu/marcopolo

About the EACI:

The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) was established by the European Commission to ensure the effective management of three EU-funding schemes and a European business network. The EACI's team is made up of specialists on energy, the environment, business support, multi-modal transport, communication and finance.

http://ec.europa.eu/eaci