In December 2019 the European Commission proposed the European Green Deal which sets the future policy package to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.The new sustainable initiative covers areas including energy, the circular economy, built environment, air pollution, biodiversity, food supply chain and smart mobility.

In January 2020 the European Commission adopted the 2020 Work programme, which sets out the actions the Commission will take this year. The European Green Deal is one of the six headline ambitions of President von der Leyen.One of the main points of the Green Deal is the sustainable transport. Transport accounts for a quarter of the EU’s carbon footprint and it believes a 90% reduction in transport emissions is needed by 2050 to achieve climate neutrality. oad, rail, aviation and waterborne transport as areas that have to contribute to the reduction.

But the question is what policies the EU will adopt in order to implement the new strategy. Here is an overview of the changes the Commission plans relating to sustainable transport for the next two years:

1. The adoption of a new strategy for sustainable and smart mobility
2. The revision of the Regulation (EU) 2019/631 regarding CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles (vans)
3. The extension of the EU’s Emissions Trading System to the maritime sector, and to reduce the free allowances for airlines by June 2021
4. The support of the deployment of public charging points with the launch of a funding call for alternative fuel infrastructure
5. The proposal of new legislative options to boost the production and supply with sustainable alternative fuels for the different transport modes
6. The resubmission of a proposal to revise the (92/106/EEC) Combined Transport Directive
7. The revision of the 2014/94/EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive and the (EU) 1315/2013 TEN-T Regulation.

These changes will create  the new Climate Law which will guide the 2050 carbon neutrality objective. For road transport operators, this represents new opportunities to help the world on its path towards sustainable and inclusive growth, as long as the policies entail smarter road transport rather than a reduction thereof.

At B2EU Consulting we follow very closely all policy updates, assessing the potential impacts of the legislative proposals , in order to ensure that our clients are prepared for any upcoming changes. If you are interested in finding our more about how we can enhance your public affairs strategy, please contact us at: info@b2eu-consulting.com