In the upper right corner of the above figure the driving forces are indicated. In the elaborated allocation of external factors, these are:
Economic activity;
Development of the EU population;
Globalisation of the economy;
Development of the wealth gap;
Size of the European market / EU Market Enlargement (Candidate Countries).
Based on this, it is possible to cluster factors and to formulate two packages of leading factors:
I. the economic development of Europe (stagnant to dynamic & prosperous); and
II. the spatial peculiarity of production and consumption (regional to global).
Step 3: Formulating scenarios
The two clusters of factors form the basis of the scenario development. One cluster is placed on the horizontal axis and the other on the vertical axis. The clusters are used in extremes. As shown in Figure 3.13below the two driving forces are: The spatial change in production and consumption process, ranging from local / regional to global production and consumption (e.g. in China; India, Brazil). The second force refers to the economic prospects of Europe - ranging from a stagnant to a very dynamic and prosperous economic development.
It enables us to define four scenarios (cf Figure 3.13):
Scenario I: Prosperous Europe in a globalised world (right-hand upper corner);
Scenario II Prosperous & isolated Europe (left-hand upper corner);
Scenario III Stagnating and isolated Europe (left-hand lower corner);
Scenario IV Stagnating Europe in a globalised world (right-hand lower corner).
Each scenario is developed in its own way. Based on the underlying assumptions, described for the specific scenario, the logistic strategies and trends are subsequently assessed according to their probable change in respect to the scenario, if influenced at all.
Figure 3.13 Scenario structure (according to allocation of external factors and trends)
Each scenario is shortly described in a systematic and coherent way, s starting with the development of the two driving forces (spatial demand / supply and economic activity), explaining how these forces will behave in respect of the basic development of external PESTLE factors.
The second step is to describe the most probable changes of logistic strategies and trends, if occurring, as well as their implications on the European transport activity. Will they become more important or less meaningful given the development of the two driving forces? The scenarios will qualitatively estimate the deviation from the expected developments, in particular the transport performance given in the base line scenario, i.e. the EU Reference Scenario 2013.