Location
08001 Barcelona, Spain

Main issues must be clearly stated

The European Union Transport Ministers have adopted the Barcelona Declaration, entitled 'Mobility for people: promoting social and territorial cohesion'.

With this manifesto, they aim to promote policies that ensure more accessible, affordable and equitable mobility within a framework of digitization, decarbonization and improved safety.

Location:

  • European Union
  • Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Main facts/points outlined in body of text

  • At the informal EU Transport Ministerial meeting held in Barcelona on September 22, chaired by the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, all Member States agreed to continue working together with the European Commission to provide citizens with mobility that meets their needs, leaving no one behind.
  • To this end, measures will be implemented to ensure that transport responds to a socially and territorially cohesive network, regardless of whether one lives in a city or a small town, income level, physical limitations or whether one has a private vehicle.
  • The Barcelona Declaration highlights the importance of deploying a transport system that facilitates access to other rights, such as education, health, work or housing, as well as helping to mitigate inequalities and increase the resilience of society, with a gender perspective.
  • Thus, the manifesto establishes a roadmap to achieve effective connectivity throughout the territory of the European Union, both in urban centers and in sparsely populated areas or areas with orographic difficulties.
  • Sustainable, digital and resilient transport
    • The document is aligned with the European Green Pact, the Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy and, therefore, with the objective of giving continuity to the transformation already underway in the transport sector to make it more sustainable, digital and resilient.
    • The Ministers of Transport have committed to promote policies that foster the advancement of technology and digitalization, such as intelligent transport systems, real-time data analysis, data sharing environment and mobile applications that can improve the efficiency, reliability and resilience of mobility and transport services, as well as the user experience.
    • They have also highlighted the need to promote progress in the decarbonization of all modes of transport and to foster competition, multimodality and resilience of the passenger and freight transport network.
  • Social and territorial cohesion
    • European Union transport ministers have agreed that promoting an integrated and accessible transport network must be a priority for public administrations. In this sense, the Barcelona Declaration includes the need to adapt mobility solutions to the specific characteristics of each context, with the participation of its inhabitants in the design and implementation of new policies.
    • European representatives have also recognized the importance of developing sustainable rural mobility strategies, and have asked the European Commission to promote the exchange of ideas to take advantage of 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.
  • Equality, accessibility and security
    • The Member States have also taken up the role of women and have called for the mitigation of cases of mobility poverty in the Community territory. Thus, they have committed themselves to provide complete data to assess inequality in this area.
    • Similarly, the Barcelona Declaration states that accessibility must be among the main priorities of any transport system, with special attention to people with disabilities and/or reduced mobility.
    • In addition, the document identifies safety as another fundamental pillar and stresses the importance of implementing road safety strategies that include measures for road users and investments in infrastructure to help protect the most vulnerable, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.