EU's Transport 2050 Strategy and Turkey

In European Union, the transport industry directly employs around 10 mln people and accounts for about 5% of gross domestic product (GDP). Logistics, such as transport and storage, account for 10-15% of the cost of a finished product for European companies, in some other regions of the world this ratio is getting even higher. The quality of transport services has a major impact on people's quality of life. In this issue you will read a brief of “Transport 2050” Strategy which was lately adopted by European Commission, a comprehensive strategy (Transport 2050) for a competitive transport system that will increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment in EU countries. In “Transport 2050 Road Map”, competition in global logistics is underlined by these words: “The EU's transport sector faces growing competition in fast developing world transport markets.” Turkey, being among these fast developing countries, has also a booming logistics market whose players are now reaching every part of the world. As Turkey is estimated to be among the top 10 economies in the world, its logistics market will also get larger. In this issue, you will read how Turkish logistics companies performed well during the crisis and how fast they started 2011 in the first quarter. Going into 2011, the economic outlook for Turkey is promising, providing an encouraging operating environment for freight transport companies active in this market. After the global recession of 2009, Turkey appears poised for long-term growth. In the five years to 2015, it is expected that Turkey's growth will be an average 5.2% per annum, which makes Turkey an outperformer relative to its peers.Turkey's estimated airfreight volumes for 2010 shows 12.8% growth to 1.553mn tonnes. In 2011, a growth of 7.2% to 1.665mn tonnes is expected. General growth across the Turkish economy will also boost the trucking sector. Having the largest truck fleet in Europe, Turkey has a great advantage in the region. Although Turkey's rail network is small compared to the country's other freight transport modes and to the road network in particular, the government announced to invest more in railways in 2011. Briefly all these figures shows that in 2011, Turkish logistics sector will compete more in the global arena.