MEPs take initiative on urban transport

Item Added 05 February 2009

Euro MPs, frustrated at the European Commission delaying the urban mobility action plan, have published their own proposals.

This highly unusual move was sparked by the Commission’s failure to publish its Urban Mobility draft action plan tackling congestion and air quality by the end of 2008 – a date announced in its 2007 Green Paper.

Its change of heart has been attributed to opposition from Germany, which was concerned that the draft plan did not respect the principle of subsidiarity.

In response French Socialist MEP Gilles Savary, acting as rapporteur for all political parties, has set out a 20-measure action plan to improve urban transport across Europe.

The measures include funding for mobility studies, an information network, the sale of urban transport securities, reactivation of the CIVITAS programme, improved urban mobility statistics and databases, better access for people with reduced mobility, increased funding for intelligent transport networks and integrated plans for towns over 100,000 inhabitants.

Savary’s proposals link EU state aid and co-financing to the plan as incentives for cities to adopt the measures. They will be discussed at the Transport Committee on 11 February with the committee vote expected on 31 March and parliamentary plenary vote expected at the end of April.

Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani has said he is keen to see the Commission’s action plan adopted before the end of the current Commission legislature in October. Speaking at the CIVITAS conference in Toulouse on 21 January, he outlined a number of initiatives the commission is planning for 2009 – whether or not the action plan goes ahead.

They include websites to facilitate purchase of green vehicles and promote sustainable mobility, plus launch two studies on interoperability of public transport systems and green zones.

In its report the European Parliament said: Since no draft action plan has been published by the Commission and in view of the time limits imposed by the forthcoming European elections in June 2009, the European Parliament, on a proposal from the Committee on Transport and Tourism, has decided in this exceptional case to draw up ex nihilo this own-initiative report on the action plan.

European Parliament draft report on urban mobility

Green paper on urban mobility