Mobility and transport

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached this week between the European Parliament and the Council on updating the requirements for the Port State Control of vessels calling at EU ports, and on the flag State requirements for merchant vessels registered in EU Member States. Flag State control and port State control are important tools when it comes to a wide range of issues linked to shipping, such as maritime safety, environmental protection, as well as working conditions on board.

The European Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on ship-source pollution. The co-legislators agreed to extend the scope of the Directive to cover more types of polluting substances discharged into the sea, such as sewage and garbage. Furthermore, there was an agreement on new measures regarding the investigation of maritime accidents. The co-legislators agreed to bring the most serious accidents involving smaller fishing vessels (less than 15 metres) within the scope of the Directive.

Our thoughts are with all those defending our freedom in Ukraine. With every day, the EU, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are getting closer than ever before. Since May 2022, the Solidarity Lanes help Ukraine export and import, via rail, road and inland waterways. Today, the Solidarity Lanes are the lifeline of Ukraine's economy. They have been the main option for Ukraine to export its goods to the rest of the world, and to import what it needs, such as fuel and humanitarian assistance. Between May 2022 and end January 2024, they have allowed Ukraine to export about 122 Mt of goods for the value of around EUR 46 billion, and to import around 45 Mt of goods it needs, for the value of around EUR 93 billion.

The Commission Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM) adopted its first set of recommendations to the European Commission. The recommendations focus on three main topics: 1) how to ensure prioritisation of public transport in urban areas; 2) how to increase public transport inclusiveness and 3) how to deal with the worker shortage and evolving skill requirements of the public transport sector.

In order to strengthen cooperation in the field of transport, Commissioner Adina Vălean and Andrei Spînu, the Moldovan Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, launched the EU-Moldova High-Level Dialogue on Transport. This dialogue will help to strengthen connections between all modes of transport and to make progress together towards achieving a sustainable and digital transformation.

The European Commission has adopted a new proposal to improve traffic management on the EU’s rivers and canals. The measure follows up on the action plan to shift more cargo to Europe’s inland waterways, in line with the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – transport by inland waterways is energy-efficient, and almost congestion-free.

The Global Gateway Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity brought together governments, financing institutions, businesses and civil society from Europe, Central Asia and beyond. European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis announced that European and international financial institutions present at the Forum will commit €10 billion in support and investments towards sustainable transport connectivity in Central Asia.

In the ongoing series of comparative reports between Europe and the US, the most recent update looks at operational as well as economic air traffic management (ATM) performance. It reviews both ATM systems since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and continues to track longer term trends and disparities identified in earlier reports.

On 21 February 2024, the European Commission organised an all-day academic conference on the state of play on EU transport policy and the challenges and priorities for the future of EU transport and mobility. Organised in cooperation with the Florence School of Regulation, this conference provided input to the next Commission’s priorities in the transport and mobility field. In case you missed it, you can still watch the recording!

The European Commission will fund 38 military mobility projects to support the transport of troops and equipment along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). With a budget of €807 million, these projects will upgrade key transport infrastructure in the EU so that it has dual use - for both civilian and defence transport. In total, the Commission is supporting 95 military mobility projects with €1.74 billion.

The winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and MOBILITYACTION awards will be announced at an award ceremony in Brussels on the evening of 14 March. The awards place a spotlight on awareness-raising and mobility management in sustainable urban mobility and are presented in recognition of activities conducted in 2023 on the theme ‘Save Energy’. Register now!

Join us for Connecting Europe Days 2024, Europe’s mobility flagship event in Brussels, Belgium. The event will bring together key transport stakeholders to discuss concrete measures and exchange good practices on creating a fully decarbonised, resilient, and digital transport network in Europe. Register now!

The theme for Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2024 is “Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility”. TRA is co-organised by the European Commission and is the foremost European transport event that covers all transport modes and all aspects of mobility. It is the largest European research and technology conference on transport and mobility. Sign up now!

The EU and its Member States committed to halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Are we on track to reach that goal? The 2024 EU Road Safety Conference will offer a forum for analysis and exchange between senior EU politicians, policy makers and the wider European road safety community. We look forward to seeing you in Dublin!

The next edition of the ERTMS 2024 Conference will focus on the new features and functionalities integrated into ERTMS as a result of the CCS TSI revision. It will also give light to the successes and challenges of current deployment of ERTMS across Europe. With three days of panel sessions, workshops and exchange of experience, this conference is an excellent opportunity to meet and discuss ERTMS with EU policy makers, national authorities and industry representatives.

Register now for the second Transport Cybersecurity Conference organised by DG MOVE, in collaboration with DG CNECT, as well as key EU transport and cybersecurity agencies and stakeholders. The conference will provide a platform for European transport and cybersecurity actors to meet, share valuable insights, and exchange best practices and ideas.

The Commission has decided to set up new sub-groups under the Sustainable Transport Forum (STF) on zero emission mobility. The STF is an expert group of the European Commission functioning as a platform for exchange and advice to the Commission on all matters related to the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure. Apply now!

The European Commission has launched new calls for projects under Horizon Europe's Work Programme for 2023-2024 Cluster 5 – which groups together topics on Climate Action, Energy and Mobility. A total of €310.05 million in EU funding is available. The overarching driver for this cluster is to accelerate the twin green and digital transitions and associated transformation of our economy, industry and society.

The corporate fleet markets for light and heavy-duty vehicles have a high yearly mileage and rapid vehicle turnover. They may therefore be well-suited to accelerating the move towards zero-emission mobility. Due to the broad role played by corporate vehicles across a spectrum of economic activities, the consultation aims to collect feedback from a spectrum of diverse stakeholders, considering the impacts an initiative in this field could have on all of them, as well as on society more broadly.