Same, but different – The SUMP Platform Coordinating Group

The SUMP Platform Cordinating Group (CG) is a unique body that is considered as the “home” of EU-financed projects working with SUMPs. Over the years, it has become a more open and policy-focused platform, boosting the uptake of quality SUMPs and helping to shape EU guidance on SUMPs. SUMP CG members also contribute to the policy debate, providing input and recommendations on relevant EU policy topics.

The SUMP Coordinating Group brings together representatives of around 15 SUMP-related projects and Commission services. Current members include: Eltis, EIT Urban Mobility, CIVITAS ELEVATE, MobiliseYourCity, SUMP Award, Park4SUMP, SUMP-PLUS, Reform, eSMARTEC, Urban Transports, EuroMed Transport Support Project, TAP and PROSUMP. It aims to promote best practice exchange on SUMPs and creates synergies between SUMP projects.

The CG held its 17th meeting on 25 and 26 April 2022, as part of a new Eltis contract which started in December 2021. The CG continues to be managed by TRT (Trasporti e Territorio) for another two years. Same team, but different: the CG is evolving in terms of format, frequency and content. It is becoming a more collaborative platform for exchange, with new interactive meeting formats and three instead of two meetings per year. At the 17th meeting, collaborative workshops included a speed updating session on SUMP projects, as well as a brainstorming workshop on how to design a SIMP (Sustainable Island Mobility Plan), together with the Greece-Cyprus CIVINET. More collaborative approaches will be proposed over the coming months.

The CG should also benefit from a new cooperation with the national leve. In the near future, the CG will jointly meet with the reformed Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM) and the SUMP National Contact Points at least once per year, in order to reinforce the coordination between local and national approaches to SUMPs and identify synergies. This new multilevel cooperation will start as soon as this September in Brno, alongside the upcoming Urban Mobility Days conference. The CG will also work closer with other networks and platforms, such as the CIVINETS and the CIVITAS Policy Support Groups.

The CG has a bright future ahead - the new cooperation with the national level as well as the changes mentioned above will ensure the CG continues to evolve into an arena that boosts the take up of SUMPs in the EU and beyond. New SUMP projects joined the CG recently, some with an international profile, thus expanding the impact of the CG beyond the borders of the EU. Because this is what the CG is all about: being an “SUMP hub” for European cities, but also a shining light of SUMP best practice to the rest of the world.

For more information, please the page on the Eltis website here.