EU’s Strategic Transport Technology Plan (STTP) - Draft Report by the EP
Mr Michael Cramer, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens and Rapporteur on the EU’s Strategic Transport Technology Plan (STTP), presented a draft report at the last TRAN meeting March 26th in Brussels, including a set of specific measures addressing the promotion of a transport technology strategy for Europe’s future sustainable mobility.
The Rapporteur highlighted the need to align research and innovation (R&I) more closely with EU transport policy and emphasized the key role of R&I to meet Union’s targets regarding the reduction of energy consumption, traffic noise, air pollutants and GHG emissions in the decades to come. In particular, he called for seamless door-to-door mobility chains and for increased support for SMEs through facilitating their access to EU funds and reducing administrative barriers.
He also called on the Commission to focus its action on a few priority areas which seem to be too often neglected by R&I at the EU level. Health and quality of life should be drivers of all innovations for transport and mobility in build up environments, report says. The EC should therefore support R&I in the area of individual mobility and promotion of car-free lifestyles, by improving collective and intermodal transport systems and integrating them in the overall transport system.
Accessibility for all and protection of vulnerable road users shall be addressed as well in the STTP by reinforcing R&I efforts in developing technological solutions and innovative infrastructures.
The report was welcomed by the other Members of the European Parliament. A representative from the European Commission said that the Commission will be coming later this year with the concrete projects to conduct under Horizon 2020 over the next 7 financial years and this report will be an important contributor to that.
The vote in TRAN Committee is scheduled for 18 June 2013.
The report can be accessed here.