• fr
  • en

Mobility in challenged regions: a draft opinion is published by the Committee of the Regions

Gordon Keymer from the Committee of the Regions has presented on 10th July 2014 his draft opinion on “mobility in geographically and demographically challenged regions“. Euromontana welcomes positively this draft opinion and was consulted during a public hearing in April (see the piece of news here) on this issue.

According to articles 174 and 379 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union, a “particular attention” must be paid to “border regions, mountainous regions, island regions, sparsely populated regions and nine outermost regions“. However, EU’s policies and programmes do not sufficiently reflect these commitments when it comes to transport and mobility.

Even if some EU funding can tackle these transport issues in theory, it is not the case in practice: even if “transport” was included in the thematic priorities of the European Structural and Investment Funds; in practice, Member States have not given the priority to transport in challenged regions. Even if the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) should promote accessibility and connectivity of all regions; in practice, 95% of the TEN-T investments are spent exclusively on the core networks, thus bringing only indirect benefits to challenged regions.

As a result, this draft opinion recommends:

– Ensuring that a “holistic, multi-modal, sustainable and coordinated approach to mobility challenges in these regions is adopted by policy-makers“.

– Recognizing that “mobility in challenged regions should not only be a matter of developing transport infrastructure and services. Mobility projects must form an integral part of development planning for the challenged regions as a whole

– Stressing “the important role of local mobility planning and that any local mobility plans should not be limited to urban areas but extended to, or at least developed in conjunction with, neighboring areas, including rural areas, as part of a wider place-based development strategy“.

– Publishing “a Green Paper on the issue in order that the topic can be fully debated by stakeholders and the EU institutions, and that appropriate responses can be developed“.

It is expected that this opinion will be adopted by the Committee of the regions in October, just before the Open Days, where this opinion will be presented.

As we have seen with our Move on Green (MOG) project, a lot remains to be done to ensure sustainable mobility in rural and mountain areas. In the following days, MOG policy guidelines will be published to encourage policy-makers to adapt their transport policy to the specific characteristics of rural and mountain areas, to be inspired by MOG good practices and transferred them into their own areas to improve sustainable mobility.

See here the draft opinion.

Share
22 July 2014

Euromontana sur Facebook

3 hours ago

Euromontana
We were today at the European Committee of the Regions too meet with regional policymakers from the Carpathians ⛰🤝 Thank you to Witold Kozłowski from the Małopolska region - also a new member of our Board of Directors - for our discussions!𝗪𝘀𝗽𝗼́𝗹𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗮ł𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝘀𝗸𝗶 𝗶 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗶 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗻𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗿. 👍Obecność wicemarszałka Witold Kozłowski w Brukseli podczas 163. Sesji Plenarnej Europejskiego Komitetu Regionów dała okazję do spotkania z dyrektorem Europejskiego Stowarzyszenia Obszarów Górskich Euromontana Guillaume Corradino. | Więcej 👇 ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 day ago

Euromontana
One month since the #mountainconvention2024 in Puigcerdà! 🏔️ What future for #mountaineconomies? Find all the key insights in the event report! 📝🙏 Thank you to all stakeholders who shared their ideas, projects and recommendations for a brighter future in the mountains!Report 🔗 www.euromontana.org/outcomes ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

3 days ago

Euromontana
Explore the new guide on ‘rural proofing for the evaluation of the rural perspective in laws, policies, plans and strategies’: bit.ly/3O995FiPublished by the Red Española de Desarrollo Rural (REDR), it intends to support authorities in incorporating a rural angle when designing, implementing, and reviewing policies and regulations.Find more information here: bit.ly/4ev41FK #RuralPact #RuralVisionEUELARD aisbl EESC - European Economic and Social Committee European Rural Development Network ODRAZ-Održivi razvoj zajednice Prepare AISBL Luonnonvarakeskus Smeunited Euromontana Diesis Network Wallonie.be ECOLISE EU CAP Network Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land Vlaams Ruraal Netwerk Réseau wallon PAC Ruralni razvoj RH Ministerstvo zemědělství Netwerk Platteland / Netherlands Rural Network Maaeluvõrgustik Maaseutu - Tilaa elämälle Réseau national Agricultures et Ruralités 2023 - 2027 Deutsche Vernetzungsstelle Ländliche Räume Εθνικό Αγροτικό Δίκτυο - Greek National Rural Network Magyar Nemzeti Vidéki Hálózat CAP Network Ireland Rete Rurale Nazionale Lauku tīkls Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'Alimentation et de la Viticulture Fondi.eu Krajowa Sieć Obszarów Wiejskich+ Rede Rural Nacional Rețeaua Rurală Națională - RRN Mreža za podeželje ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

Euromontana
Today, members of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) meet online to discuss: • The forthcoming RPCG Declaration on the future of EU rural policy, which addresses the open questions in the @European Commission’s ‘key achievements and ways forward’ report;• RPCG members’ position papers on the future of Europe’s rural areas;• RPCG members’ role in the Rural Pact Conference of April 2025;• Members’ actions to date & the Rural Pact Support Office 2025 work programme.More information at: bit.ly/4fwtjnS#RuralPact #RuralVisionEU ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

Euromontana sur Twitter