On Wednesday afternoon 28 June during a conference organised by the ALDE group on the theme of future mobility, political decision-makers and stakeholders in the transport sector called for a global approach in this domain.
The Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action, Miguel Arias Cañete, MEPs, European Commission officials and representatives from civil society were invited to the conference.
Although two different workshops on “autonomous and connecting vehicles” and “sustainable and clean transport” were organised, it should be pointed out that all the different actors agreed that the two issues cannot be separated and new technologies should be used for environmental purposes.
Mr Cañete was invited to present the Commission’s work undertaken in the transport field and he was keen to point out that the Commission’s objective was to, “modernise European transport, to achieve clean, connected and competitive mobility”. In an effort to illustrate the interaction taking place between new technologies and sustainability, the Commissioner highlighted the, “new mobility solutions that have emerged thanks to digital technologies – such as car sharing and car-pooling – which are changing the way we use transport, on a daily basis”.
Carl Friedrich Eckhardt, the director of the BMW Group’s Centre of Competence for Urban Mobility also sought to present the future problems facing mobility within the prism of clean and connected transport. According to Mr Eckhardt, with technology, "we can change the quality of life dramatically" for citizens, particularly by facilitating sustainable transport. Although the technical means already exist, the political will, according to this expert, is insufficient and it is only through political will that change will be possible. Dita Charanzová (ALDE, Czech Republic), the vice president of the internal market and consumer protection committee at the European Parliament also called for political will to be displayed at European level and highlighted the need for a legislative framework on new technologies. The MP argued that this would be used to help dissipates consumers’ fears and develop greater take-up of technologies in the Union.
The different speakers confirmed this concept of a sustainable and modern transport system and also called on all the sector actors, including the cities, where 70% of the global population is expected to live in the near future, to get involved in this ecological and technological transition process. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)