Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy

In December, the European Commission presented its ‘Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy' together with an action plan of 82 initiatives that will guide the development over the next four years. The EU transport system will have a green and digital transformation, also becoming more resilient for future crises. As planned in the European Green Deal, the result will be a 90% cut in emissions by 2050, delivered by a smart, competitive, safe, accessible and affordable transport system.

Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean stated that: “As the backbone that connects European citizens and business, transport matters to us all. Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we move, making our mobility smarter, more efficient and also greener. We need to provide businesses a stable framework for the green investments they will need to make over the coming decades.”

Climate targets

All means of transport need to become more sustainable, with green alternatives widely available and the right incentives put in place to drive the transition. These concrete climate targets will the European transport system’s journey towards a smart and sustainable future on track:

• By 2030:
  • at least 30 million zero-emission cars will be in operation on European roads
  • high-speed rail traffic will double across Europe
  • scheduled collective travel for journeys under 500 km should be carbon neutral
  • zero-emission marine vessels will be market-ready
• By 2035:
  • zero-emission large aircraft will be market-ready
• By 2050:
  • Nearly all cars, vans, buses as well as the new heavy-duty vehicles will be zero-emission
  • rail freight traffic will double
  • a fully operational, multimodal Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) for sustainable and smart transport with high-speed connectivity

Past and Future

The transport sector makes around 5% of the EU GDP and employs over 10 million people all over Europe. For European businesses and global supply chains, the functioning of the transportation system is critical. At the same time, transport bears a great cost to our society and climate: greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions, noise, road crashes and congestion. Present day, transport emissions represent around 25% of the EU’s total GHG emissions.

This push to transform transport comes at a time when the entire sector is still reeling from the impacts of the coronavirus. With increased public and private investment in the modernisation and greening of our fleets and infrastructure, and by reinforcing the single market, we now have a historic opportunity to make European transport not only more sustainable but more competitive globally and more resistant to any future shocks.

However, this evolution should leave nobody behind: it is crucial that mobility is available and affordable for all, that rural and remote regions remain connected, and that the sector offers good social conditions and provides attractive jobs.

B2EU Consulting can help private or public actors to gain access to means of financial or legislative support. Our boutique consulting firm is specialized in European funds and can assist industries on positioning itself favorably for financial support and a smooth transaction to a greener future.