EESC Corner: clean, competitive and connected mobility for all

In the first half 2017 the European Commission published the Communication „Europe on the move: An agenda for a socially fair transition towards clean, competitive and connected mobility for all“ [COM(2017) 283 final].

The Communication is the first substantial phase of the Mobility Package, with further proposals to follow later in the year. It places the specific proposals, which are covered in separate Committee opinions, in a political context, sets out supporting measures – such as road charging (including the required infrastructure), alternative fuels and connectivity, better information for consumers, a stronger internal market and improved working conditions in the road haulage sector – and proposes steps to “lay the ground” for cooperative, connected and automated mobility. In practice, the Commission’s proposal primarily involves the road transport sector.

The mobility agenda reflects Europe’s ambition of making rapid progress towards putting in place, by 2025, a clean, competitive and connected mobility system integrating all means of transport, spanning the entire Union and connecting it to its neighbours and to the world. Achieving this highly ambitious objective relies both on an industry that is a world leader in manufacturing and service provision and on strong and effective political will on the part of the Member States. Reflecting this Communication “Europe on the move” EESC prepared and in October adopted the Opinion “Clean, competitive and connected mobility for all”

The EESC notes that land transport technology will most likely be revolutionized by digitization and automation. This new technology has the capacity to both improve transport market efficiencies but also to provide analytical data to assist in the control and enforcement of existing legislation and the protection of human and social rights. The EESC notes the discrepancy between anticipated emission reduction (13 %) in road transport under this package and the necessary 18–19 % that the transport sector would need to contribute towards achieving the 2030 climate and energy targets. This gap can only be bridged if Member States make substantial efforts to stimulate the introduction of “clean” road transport initiatives. The EESC would like to emphasise that the production of clean electricity is an indispensable condition for a successful introduction of electric vehicles (EV) into the mass market. The EESC is of the opinion that the proposed changes in legislation regarding access to the profession, market access – including cabotage – and working conditions, such as driving and rest time and specific rules on the posting of workers in road transport mostly fail to effectively resolve the problems they address.

The EESC encourages the Commission to pursue the Vision Zero by 2050 project further since its goals are of the utmost importance for our society and citizens.

Vladimír Novotný,
EESC Member, Group I – Employers