4th UITP European Conference : Time for action
The 4th UITP European Conference held in Brussels on 27 February 2007 « Opportunities and Challenges: Time for Action » gathered the major European actors of urban mobility.
The central question was to identify the added value that the European Union can bring to enhance urban mobility. The conclusion is that the role of the EU institutions is to set the right framework conditions enabling appropriate local policies.
President of the Committee of Transport and Tourism at EU Parliament acknowledged the centre place of urban transport in the sustainable development of European urban areas while the President of the Committee of the Region insisted on the key role of subsidiarity in the local and regional transport policies.
Several opportunities for EU Commission to design the framework that would enhance coherence and efficiency were identified, among which legal framework for public service obligation, standardisation, better financing of infrastructure, research and dissemination of good practice. EU Commission wants to adopt a global approach that would take into account the EU policies such as energy, environment and public procurement.
The Conference ended with the joint statement by the UITP EU Committee and the European Transport Worker’s Federation (ETF) on urban mobility. The transport sector represents 10 million jobs and accounts for 7% of Europe gross domestic product.
The statement stresses the need for specific objectives and measurable targets within integrated policies that would not only focus on the supply side of transport but also on the related effect on land use and on external costs that might impact adversely on the local sustainable development.
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Updated : April 25, 2007
