אי.יו. שטיצן און אַ שטארקער היסכייַוועס פֿאַר מיטגליד שטאַט קענען בוסט סאַסטיינאַבאַל שטאָטיש מאָביליטי

Albert Bore: “Urban Transport concerns need to be an integrated part of the EU Urban Agenda”

In the opinion on the Urban mobility package drafted by Albert Bore (UK/PES), Leader of Birmingham City Council, EU regions and cities address sustainable urban mobility in an integrated way and share the European Commission approach to promoting the elaboration of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) through non-binding guidance. The Committee of the Regions (CoR) also calls on member states to introduce legislative changes that are needed for the elaboration of SUMPs and suggest to better link them to air quality policies as well as to resource efficiency initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayors.

As clearly stated in the opinion on the "Urban Mobility Package" adopted on 25 June, the elaboration of SUMPs for EU cities remains a key demand of the CoR, with the design and implementation of such plans being the responsibility of the cities themselves. For this reason the CoR welcomes the Commission's commitment to support the development and the promotion of the SUMP, and asks member states to ensure that the necessary framework is available to allow local and regional authorities to create and successfully implement urban mobility strategies.
The CoR sees these plans as an appropriate strategic instrument to address urban mobility problems with an integrated approach linking the urban dimension of transport policy to the broader concept of spatial planning, as well as to land use policies. Indeed, the overall goals include improving urban transport and infrastructure, combating urban sprawl and rethinking the relationship between cities and their surrounding environment. These efforts should be also linked to air quality and climate matters, which are not dealt with adequately within the Commission's Communication.

Beside these considerations on SUMPs, Regions and cities provide their view on how to address the main urban mobility issues, including the use of Urban Vehicle Access Regulations, the need to increase urban road safety, the development of innovative approaches to urban logistics as well as the opportunities linked to the use of Urban Intelligent Transport Systems.

Regarding  EU support, the Committee urges the Commission to provide local and regional authorities with adequate guidance on how EU Structural and Investment funds could be used more systematically for the funding of integrated packages of measures in the field of urban mobility, including through the new instruments such as Integrated Territorial Investments. Also, guidance is required on how to exploit the synergies with other EU funding streams such as Horizon 2020. Finally, the Committee considers that allocation of regional development and cohesion funds should be coordinated with the submission of a coherent, and independently validated Urban Mobility Performance and Sustainability Audit certificate by cities and regions.

“This opinion will allow the CoR to press further for urban transport concerns to be an integrated part of the Urban Agenda for cities, and for the European Parliament to take up these concerns through its deliberation on the Urban Mobility Package” said the rapporteur, adding that: “The CoR now needs an absolute commitment from the European Commission that there will be local and regional involvement in the proposed European Platform on SUMPs and on the Member States’ Expert Group on Urban Mobility and Transport. Cities and regions also urge that the proposed Urban Mobility Scoreboard advocated by the Commission should be “city-specific” so as to establish a time-related base line that can be used in assessing EU funding applications on urban mobility matters”.

Local and regional authorities are in charge of designing and implementing urban mobility policies but their decisions often relate to a framework set by national policy and within a new EU Urban Agenda. The definition of a common Integrated Urban Agenda is an open issue for the EU since 1997 but the announced launch of a public consultation by the European Commission in July has recently raised some expectation that such agenda could be adopted under the new mandate. Regional and local leaders addressed this issue in the opinion drafted by the Mayor of Delft, Bas Verkerk (NL/ALDE), adopted unanimously by the CoR plenary session. Regions and cities urge the Commission to present a White Paper aimed at structurally anchoring the urban dimension in EU policies and legislation. The paper should clarify what objectives the EU wishes to achieve across the various policy areas and contribute to the shaping of an integrated approach to EU policy and legislation that affect towns, cities and urban areas and to a stronger involvement of cities in the preparation of that policy. The Committee asks that the incoming Commission draw up this White Paper in close cooperation with towns and cities in order to avoid that EU urban policies are imposed from above and to base them, instead, on practical experiences as well as on the analysis of the actual needs of urban communities.

אַדווערטייזמאַנט

The opinion refers to the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Smart Cities and Communities as effective example of integrated approach at EU level. This EIP was created to boost public/private initiatives at the intersection between urban mobility, energy efficiency and information and communication technologies, translating EU-level macroeconomic policies into urban practices.
Looking at 2014-2020 EU Structural and Investment Funds programming phase, the opinion proposes a joint monitoring exercise focused on how new tools such as integrated territorial investments will contribute to the territorial cohesion in urban areas as well as in interconnected urban/rural areas in the context of 2014-2020 EU structural funds implementation.

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