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EU regional mobility practices and future finances at CIVITAS Forum 2021

  • 2. 11. 2021

The CIVITAS Forum is a bi-annual event hosted by the CIVITAS Initiative that celebrates, promotes, and encourages sustainable cities and sustainable urban mobility advancement across Europe. Hosted this year in Aachen, Germany, the conference was be guided by the central theme ‘Smart routes towards climate-neutral cities’. Participated from representatives of RRA LUR the CIVITAS Forum 2021 took take place on 20-21 October 2021.

Over 650 mobility minds in online and offline format, discovered first-hand how a combination of newer, low-emission transport technologies and more traditional cycling, pedestrian, and public transport infrastructure is changing the face of cities and regions across Europe. This combination is helping foster safer, more inclusive and more sustainable mobility even in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, Europe’s leading sustainable mobility event paved the route towards climate-neutral cities. Seeking to understand the role of mobility and transport in the creation of such cities, and how local authorities can shape their economies, infrastructure, and mobility cultures to achieve this mission. While the European Commission recently launched a mission to achieve 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030, it is clear that reaching such a goal requires collaboration across all sectors of urban life. In fact, the past several months of global pandemic have put in stark relief the fact that the most overwhelming challenges are easier to bear when faced together.

As also in Aachen, mobility has always been the central focus of the CIVITAS Forum. The conference introduced participants to diverse perspectives that consider mobility through new lenses. Financing schemes as a means to empower cities to prioritise climate-neutral policy, or the use of data in the creation of smarter cities, are just two such examples of collaborative and future-thinking approaches to mobility. The most expected topic on the conference was the very first broad presentation of the finances for the 2021-2027 period on the area of sustainable mobility.

From the finances in the next financial period the following priority calls in the terms of mobility can be expected. Horizon Europe 2022 where in the »Climate, Energy and Mobility« cluster reaches to accelerate the twin green and digital transitions and associated transformation of our economy, industry and society with a view to achieving climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. In addition to other calls there is also 2021 LIFE Call for proposal in which are many topics of interest also on sustainable mobility. Connecting Europe facility 2021-2027 is also an important call for relevant urban areas and PT operators. On transport, the new focus of CEF will be decarbonization and making transport connected, sustainable, inclusive, safe and secured. In the transport sector, CEF is dedicated to the implementation of the TEN-T and aims at supporting investments in cross-border connections, missing links as well as promoting sustainability and digitalisation.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (the Facility) will make €672.5 billion in loans and grants available to support reforms and investments undertaken by Member States. The aim is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions. Member States are currently preparing recovery and resilience plans that set out a coherent package of reforms and public investment projects. To benefit from the support of the Facility, these reforms and investments should be implemented by 2026.

Many additional information on overview of EU funding programmes 2021-2027 can be found on Eurocities link.