Brussels, 22 September 2023
EU Transport Ministers have concluded the informal ministerial meeting on Transport held in Barcelona with the signing of the Barcelona Declaration, a commitment to accessible, affordable and equitable mobility to promote social and territorial cohesion.
To the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, mobility is a priority issue.
“Mobility is a right that must be exercised under equal conditions, regardless of whether we live in a city or a small town, whether our income level is high or low, whether we have physical limitations or not, or if we have a private vehicle or not,” said the acting Minister for Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, who chaired the meeting.
The informal meeting was attended by some twenty EU ministers and officials from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, as well as the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean.
A citizen-centred declaration
The document, entitled “Mobility for people: promoting social and territorial cohesion”, aims to consolidate the path already started by the European Commission with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy to achieve effective connectivity throughout the EU, both in urban areas and in sparsely populated or orographically difficult areas.
Adapting mobility to regional conditions
Rural and cross-border mobility is a key point in a Declaration that defends as a priority the promotion of an integrated and accessible network. To this end, it is necessary to adapt mobility solutions to the specific characteristics of each context, always with the participation of its inhabitants in the design and implementation of new policies.
Areas at risk of depopulation, especially in rural areas, have been part of the debates of the day.
Ministers asked the European Commission to find ways of using transport and mobility as tools for social and territorial cohesion, considering the challenges of urban and rural, island, peripheral, mountainous, and especially cross-border and sparsely populated areas.
“We are all aware that it is necessary to make decisive progress”, reiterated the acting Minister.
“Diversified quality mobility brings prosperity to countries and regions. On the other hand, the lack of infrastructure or transport options has a negative impact on our businesses”, said the EU Commissioner for Transport.
The role of women, inclusion and safety
The Barcelona Declaration also addresses transport safety, and specifically road safety, with the inclusion of new measures to guarantee it.
It also discusses the role of women in the sector and stresses the importance of incorporating a gender and equality perspective into the design of transport and mobility policies.
It also insists on the importance of mitigating cases of poverty in EU territory that affect inequality in the use of transport.
And to address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility, as well as investing in infrastructures that protect the most vulnerable, especially cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists on EU roads.
“We have to ensure a right, but also minimise the environmental impact of its exercise, hence our ambition to achieve much more efficient and intelligent transport, to promote less polluting transport and to promote intermodality and electrification”, said Raquel Sánchez.
Informal ministerial meeting on transport
Source – EU Council Presidency