The Sustainable and Smart Mobility (SSM) strategy - BusinessEurope comments

BusinessEurope supports the overall goals and aims of the strategy: to master the twin green and digital transitions aiming at significantly reducing CO2 and pollutant emissions; improving efficiencies across all modes of transport; enhancing digitalisation, automation and connectivity.

It is crucial to achieve a fully interconnected all-modes-of-transport system which ensures well-functioning transport systems and infrastructure that supports high mobility in the EU. It is also particularly important that the European transport-related industry deals with the innovations in a timely and creative manner and does not lag behind the development of new technologies outside Europe.

Without entering in the discussion on specific provisions or specific transport sectors in this position paper, BusinessEurope wants to highlight the main topics that need to be kept in mind during the deployment of the strategy in the coming years.

Key messages

• National Recovery and Resilience Programs of Member States should substantively contribute to EU funding programmes, so that support to infrastructure, research, development, and deployment is increased and effectively helps to sustain the European Green Deal objectives.
• EU needs more suggestions regarding the completion of the Single European Transport Area, overcoming imbalances and ensuring that there are Single Market frameworks which indeed open up cross-border opportunities for and between the different modes of transport.
• The principle of technological neutrality should be addressed as a main driver throughout the strategy implementation and all existing and future technologies should be leveraged in a cost-efficiency criterion; internalization of all external costs should be based on fair, simple, proportionate, and transparent calculations.
• Transport digitalization measures should be accompanied by a clear definition of responsibilities as well as solutions for interoperability of systems between countries and different modes of transport.
• Intentions to create a European Mobility Data Space are welcome but demanding greater coordination of the various initiatives currently taken by various DGs and a stronger focus on the Single Market and competitiveness.