How to better finance public transport decarbonisation through cohesion policy and other EU instruments, remove administrative bottlenecks and give cities direct access to EU funds were some of the main topics discussed during a two-day meeting in July that gathered local and regional leaders from all over the European Union in Prague, at the start of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.
European cities are investing significantly into sustainable mobility to mitigate the climate impact of transport, improve the quality of life for residents, reduce fossil-fuel consumption and increase energy resilience. Thanks to EU cohesion policy, European countries pledged to spend more than €18 billion over the past decade to promote clean urban transport, financing hundreds of projects on the ground. This figure is expected to increase by 2030 and to be complemented by resources from the EU's pandemic recovery plan, 'Next Generation EU'.
The Czech Republic is one of the most successful bus producers in the Union and is one of the EU countries that is financing the largest number of urban transport projects (nearly 700 over the last 10 years). The capital, Prague, is a champion of the green transition - in 2021 it adopted its 2030 Climate Plan , which seeks to reduce CO2 emissions by 45% compared to 2010 levels while transforming the city into an eco-friendly metropolis and an even more attractive place to live.
"Prague is sending a clear message towards the EU. Cities are absolutely vital for the implementation of the European Green Deal and need direct EU funding. The Climate Plan for Prague is a detailed and ambitious roadmap for reducing CO2 emissions in the city by 2030. Sustainable mobility is one of the essential pillars of the plan ," stated the Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib (CZ/Greens), who hosted the two-day event organised in the framework of the external meeting of the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) commission for territorial cohesion policy and EU budget ( COTER).
The role of cohesion policy as long-term investment into regions’ future was highlighted by local leaders in the draft opinion in the EU Commission's 8th Cohesion Report (rapporteur: Nathalie Sarrabezolles – FR/PES), adopted during the meeting on 12 July 2022. The text was voted while the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development was adopting its draft resolution on the same topic, putting forward the same priority as the CoR.
"Carbon-free mobility in our cities is absolutely paramount if we want to reach our objective to be a carbon-neutral continent by 2050. The 8th Cohesion Report shows that transport is responsible for almost a quarter of EU greenhouse emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. Therefore, all the political, juridical and technical obstacles preventing cohesion policy from financing green mobility in our cities and rural areas should be removed. Enhancing public transport and active mobility, while reducing the use of individual cars, is the only way to succeed in implementing a fair ecological transition for all," said Emil Boc (RO/EPP), Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, who chaired the external meeting of the COTER Commission.
The Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Radim Sršeň, participated in the debate on behalf of the Czech Presidency. Local and regional leaders also had the chance to exchange best practices on urban mobility and visit projects implemented by the Municipality, such as the new Sídliště Barrandov – Holyně tramline.
During the meeting, COTER members also discussed the FAST-CARE instrument, recently put forward by the European Commission to help cities and regions in assisting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. The proposed flexibility measures respond to key CoR demands but, as several members pointed out, addressing the continuing emergency requires the mobilisation of fresh financial resources.
Sources
Details
- Publication date
- 5 August 2022
- Topic
- Collective passenger transport
- Country
- Czechia