In preparation for its informal meeting on Friday, 30 October, the German Presidency of the Council of the EU forwarded a first draft of Council conclusions on the concept of a “New Mobility Approach” (see EUROPE 12510/19) to the Working Party on Transport - Intermodal Issues and Networks.
This document, of which EUROPE has obtained a copy, is presented as “strategic backing” for the strategy for sustainable and intelligent mobility which the Commission will unveil at the beginning of December.
It is, in short, yet another call to make the transport sector more environmentally friendly, more innovative and more intelligent.
The draft conclusions do call, first and foremost, for the development of an EU-wide recharging infrastructure and initiatives related to sustainable fuels for air and maritime transport. It also encourages the Commission to pave the way for a single market for green hydrogen and to strengthen rail freight corridors.
Berlin then suggested inviting the European institution to work towards the emergence of a secure “European Mobility Data Space” and to make digital technologies work for the transport chain and infrastructure management, in particular by promoting automation.
The document further stresses the need to “leverage the potential” of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles “by integrating them safely into the current transport system” (see EUROPE 12447/20) and suggests working towards the development of autonomous and connected driving on land and water.
There is also an emphasis on multimodality - which Commissioner Adina Vălean recently noted would be “one of the main pillars” of the strategy (see EUROPE 12591/31). In this respect, the Commission is, for example, called upon to work on the deployment of tickets valid for multimodal and cross-border travel.
Finally, the draft conclusions note the importance of high funding and the need to use funds from the Trans-European Transport Network Development Programme. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)