​​ The European Committee of the Regions will draft an opinion on the European " Strategy for Sustainable and Smart Mobility " and has appointed Robert van Asten (NL/RE), Deputy Mayor of The Hague as rapporteur for the opinion.

The evolution of the transport system towards a zero-emission and digital one will require action at local and regional level and will fundamentally transform local and regional mobility. In cities and regions, mobility is the link between living, working, knowledge and free time. The mobility transition is required in order to meet the objectives of sustainability, accessibility, road safety and health. This is not just a question of making transport more sustainable (towards zero-emission vehicles), but rather of reducing travel and changing mobility (towards more sustainable forms such as cycling and walking).

Mobility is inextricably linked to spatial planning: a clean but compact city that reduces mobility through proximity to various activities and facilities (living, working, business and free time) and that facilitates other active mobility through infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Similarly, in rural areas spatial planning should aim at ensuring accessibility of services for all citizens. Cities and regions are also multimodal hubs with good connections to a network of regional, national and international connections.

The topic will be first discussed by the rapporteur, the CoR Members and the European Commission at the COTER meeting of 26 February 2021 (on the basis of the rapporteur's " working document ") and the draft opinion will be adopted at the COTER meeting on 23 April 2021. The adoption of the opinion at the CoR Plenary is foreseen for 30 June / 1 July 2021.

By means of this written consultation, Mr van Asten , would like to consult relevant stakeholders and gather their position on the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy . The following questions could be taken into account:

The strategy and urban and interurban mobility

• What effective incentives can local and regional authorities use to encourage behavioural change with regard to choice of transport? How do we ensure that the plans do not leave out simple sustainable forms of urban mobility such as cycling and walking and also ensure connectivity beyond city border to include the peri-urban and rural environment?
• What are your experiences with sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs)?
• How do you see the relationship between SUMPs and regional mobility plans? What do you think the appropriate scale would be?
• How can the strategy respond to the broader challenges and can an SUMP help with this?

Supporting urban and regional mobility: EU funding

• How could the implementation of financial instruments be improved in order to make them accessible for all authorities (in terms of eligibility and practicability of the application process)?
• Do you support the idea of using cities and regions as testing grounds for the mobility transition and how could this be connected to the European level (the strategy)?

Supporting urban and regional mobility: EU policy measures

• How can EU policies support cities and regions with the mobility transition, which does not just involve making existing transport more sustainable?
• How can the EU ensure that authorities and businesses cooperate better on policy issues?