More than two million people in Europe are directly employed in the
public transport sector. Public transport plays a major role in the
life of cities and is also a key factor in the fight against climate
change.
In February of this year, UITP – the international association
representing public transport stakeholders - called on all future EU
decision makers to shine the spotlight on mobility, with a commitment
to placing
Mobility on Top
of their agendas for the next five years. By July,
more than 300 signatories
had signed the
UITP Manifesto
, which is still open for signatures
"S
ustainable urban mobility is the engine for a sustainable future.
Affordable, green, efficient public transport not only improves
quality of life and supports local economies, but is vital in
driving the transition to a carbon-free world. Backed with the
right EU polices and sufficient funds, cities and regions can make
our transport systems fit for the 21st century and get
Europe moving
", said Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the
European Committee of the Regions, signing the UITP manifesto.
“
Our Mobility Manifesto encourages everyone to recognise the
importance of strong public transport and the need to advance
mobility in our cities. In just a few months, more than 300
signatories have recognised urban mobility as a key priority by
pledging their support. With the positive engagement of the
European Committee of the Regions, that strong level of support
continues. But we won’t stop there - our
Mobility OnTop
campaign is still active and we look forward to collaborating with
those involved to turn our positive objectives into concrete
actions
", said Thomas Avanzata, Senior Director UITP Europe.
The signature of the Mobility Manifesto took place in the margins of a
joint conference organised by UITP, UNIFE (the European Rail Supply
Industry Association) and the European Committee of the Regions on
financing urban rail investments in the next financial framework.
Opened by UITP Deputy Director for Europe,Annika Steinen and CoR PresidentKarl-Heinz Lambertz together withPhilippe Citroën, Director General of UNIFE and Mikael Nyberg, representing Finland's Council
Presidency Council, the conference focussed on the potential of urban
and regional rail projects to respond to the challenges of
urbanisation, notably emissions, congestion and territorial cohesion.
Pascal Mangin
, CoR rapporteur for the opinion in progress on "
The potential of the rail sector in delivering EU policy
priorities
", outlined the territorial perspective together withWojciech Bartelski, CEO of Warsaw Trams, and Martin Platzer, Senior Vice-President of Voestalpine
Schienen. This was completed by the outlook from the Brussels-based EU
institutions on policy priorities for urban transport and the different
funding lines available going forward - includingCiaran Cuffe, MEP and member of the TRAN Committee,Keir Fitch of DG MOVE andVincent Leiner of DG REGIO as well as Per Als, Senior Transport Specialist at the European
Investment Bank.
You can find pictures of the event on the
CoR Flickr gallery
.