The European Commission on Wednesday rolled out a strategic plan which aims to dramatically reduce transport-related CO2 emissions in line with the European Green Deal, and to build a smart, competitive, safe, accessible and affordable transport system in Europe.
The plan, entitled "Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy," identifies 82 initiatives in ten key areas with concrete measures. These include boosting the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, renewable and low-carbon fuels as well as related infrastructure; creating zero-emission airports and ports; making interurban and urban mobility more sustainable and healthy; and "greening" freight transport.
Specific milestones for smart and sustainable transportation include that by 2030 at least 30 million zero-emission cars will travel on European roads; high-speed rail traffic will double across Europe; 100 European cities will be climate-neutral and automated mobility will be deployed at large scale. By 2050, nearly all cars, vans, buses, as well as new heavy-duty vehicles in the European Union (EU), will be zero-emission.
"To reach our climate targets, emissions from the transport sector must get on a clear downward trend," said Frans Timmermans, the European Commission's executive vice president for the European Green Deal.
He noted that the strategy will shift the way people and goods move across Europe and make it easy to combine different modes of transport in a single journey.
"Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we move, making our mobility smarter, more efficient and also greener," European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said, appealing for a more efficient and resilient transport system, "which is on a firm pathway to reduce emissions in line with European Green Deal goals."
The European Green Deal, the EU's ambitious roadmap to combat climate change, was unveiled in December 2019. It aims to deliver net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 and to decouple economic growth from resource use.
Editor: Galia
