Polis Answers DG Regio consultation on the key features of an EU Urban Agenda emphasising the importance of the Urban Mobility Package
The European Commission issued a Communication on the 18th of July 2014 entitled The Urban dimension of EU policies – key features of an EU Urban agenda (click here) and launched of a public Consultation on the same date with the aim of define the scope, the goals and how and EU Urban Agenda would function and feed into the development of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
The context of the publication of the Communication and the launch of the consultation is one of repeated calls for an EU Urban Agenda from EU institutions and stakeholders. The European Council is making it one of its priorities with the new Trio of Presidencies of the EU, starting with the current Italian Presidency stating amongst its priorities “the evaluation of the Territorial Agenda 2020 and the development of an EU Urban Agenda”. The Committee of the Regions adopted its opinion on an EU Urban Agenda at its June plenary. With the prospect of the European Parliament producing an Own initiative report in response to the European Commission’s Communication, the subject is high on the policy agenda.
In December 2013, the Commission published the Communication on the Urban Mobility Package outlining operational guidelines for the implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). The Urban Mobility Package should be at the heart of an EU Urban Agenda because transport policies and urban mobility are at the crossroads of a number of policies: environment, health, research and innovation, social inclusion, industry, economic development, etc. Polis has produced a draft position paper on the Urban Mobility Package that underlines this approach to urban mobility and SUMPs as a tool for better governance and efficiency overall.
The Communication on an EU Urban Agenda states that “an EU urban agenda cannot be formulated in a vacuum but must be fully in line with EU 2020 strategy”. Furthermore, it stresses that this EU Urban agenda “will not be built on new legislation, and will be on full respect for subsidiarity”. Though the Communication recognizes that “walking, cycling and public transport are not sufficiently developed alternative to cars in many cities, resulting in congestion, bad air quality ad high energy use, “it makes no reference to urban mobility.
Polis answers to the Consultation underline the need to put urban mobility and the Urban Mobility Package at the heart of an EU Urban Agenda.
Documents:
- Polis answers to the Consultation on the EU Urban Agenda: click here (members only - once logged in, the document will be listed first under "Documents for members" in the column to the right)
- Polis draft position paper on the Urban Mobility Package: click here (members only - once logged in, the document will be listed second under "Documents for members" in the column to the right)
- Polis call for stronger integration of policies linked to urban mobility: click here (members only)
- The Urban Mobility Package: Communication by the European Commission
- The EU Urban Agenda: Communication by the European Commission
For more information, please contact Cleo Davies: cdavies@polisnetwork.eu