Topicality. The relevance of the study is based on the fact that the transport sector of the European Union is at a crossroads today, as it requires a policy that meets the needs of the 21st century and which will contribute to the growth of jobs in the EU. It must avoid constraining mobility, while at the same time responding to a range of social and economic problems that arise.
Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical, methodological and practical applications, which should justify the optimization of transport services and changes in the design of vehicles and infrastructure of the European Union. In addition, various factors of historical and geographical nature often affect the political merits of States parties. After decades of EU activity, there is currently not a sufficiently compatible and resource saving network of interconnected, trans border transport infrastructure.
Reasearch results. The essence of the formation of a united European transport network is the implementation of direct links between the main nodes and the infrastructure that forms the mobility of passengers. Airports, ports, railways, undergrounds and bus stations must increasingly be transformed into multimodal communication platforms for passengers and cargo. Online information, electronic booking and payment systems that combine all vehicles will contribute to multimodal travel. But today legal, administrative and technical barriers multiply and slow down the process of forming a single European transport space. Despite the intensification of rail freight and international passenger transport, access to the transport services market continues to be a serious problem. This is largely due to lack of independence and lack of financial transparency between infrastructure managers and service providers, which can lead to discrimination and distortion of the market.
Conclusion. The transport policy of the European Union provides a powerful lever for economic recovery. A new issue for European transport systems is their intermodality, that is, the opportunity for logistic chains to use different consecutive modes of transport according to their specific needs for optimizing costs and environmental impact. This means the implementation of regular, clear efforts at European level country by country, industry by industry, according to different geographical, economic and historical features. An investment strategy in transport infrastructure will make sense only if it is shared by actors in the world market. By means of joint financing of individual objects by business and states, the possibility of creating a single European transport network will be real.
Competitiveness of Lithuanian Freight Transport Service Sector in the Context of the European Union
