European Mobility in the context of Covid-19: Keeping the green steering wheel steady?
Channel: Green European Foundation
Date: 2021-01-14

The challenges related to a sustainable transition of the European mobility sector were already manifold before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Motorised mass transport has reached its limits, mass tourism has massive ecological and social impacts, and EU governments have not been acting fast enough to re-direct investments from a carbon-intensive transport sector to more climate-friendly means of transports, e.g. trans-European railways.

Measures to contain the spread of the virus have brought international transport and travel to periods of a near standstill in 2020. In their attempt to prevent a collapse of entire industries and subsequent mass unemployment, many governments had to bail out airline companies. At the same time, huge investments to re-stabilise the current automobile and airline industry are counterproductive to the European Commission’s aim of ‘accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility’ as part of the European Green Deal.

With their joint online event the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and the Green European Foundation would like to examine the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on European mobility. How can the EU ensure uninterrupted transport and supply chains, e.g. for medical equipment? What will be the opportunities and challenges of a progressing digitisation of European transport? How will the pandemic shape the future of free movement within the EU? What should international tourism look like in a post-Covid-19 world? How can a just transition of the mobility sector contribute to ambitious climate targets?

Speakers:
Georges Gilkinet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility and the National Railway Company, Belgian Federal Government

Herald Ruijters, Director Directorate INVESTMENT, INNOVATIVE & SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT, DG Move, European Commission

Annika Degen, Director of EU Office Verband deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen (VDV)

Moderator: Martin Keim, Head of Programme – European Energy Transition, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union