EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK News

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Murcia and Malmö revealed as mobility award winners

21 April 2016

Murcia (Spain) and Malmö (Sweden) have been announced as the winners of the 2016 editions of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan awards respectively.

The winning cities received the awards from Director-General for DG MOVE Henrik Hololei, and Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for the Environment. The award ceremony was held in the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Brussels (Belgium).

Murcia was congratulated for taking steps to promote active modes of travel such as walking and cycling. Taking the stand, Mr Vella praised all who take part in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK pointing out that it is the citizens who are the real winners. He also stressed the need for more collaboration to achieve sustainable mobility objectives, saying: “we need to act together and on many fronts. We need to increase active transport, car-sharing and green public transport". Murcia’s fellow finalists for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award, Lisbon (Portugal) and Palma de Mallorca (Spain) were also commended for their efforts in encouraging multimodality in their 2015 campaigns.

Malmö received particular praise for their commitment to creating a multimodal transport network, making it easier to complete journeys sustainably. The other finalists for the SUMP Award, Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Vienna (Austria) were complimented for their own work in integrating different transport modes. Mr Hololei noted that sustainable urban mobility can play a significant role in decarbonising our cities and affirmed that “Europe can and should be a world leader in sustainable mobility solutions”.

To view photos from the ceremony, visit the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Flickr account.

Registration opens for EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 2016

20 April 2016

Local authorities across Europe can begin registering their participation in this year's EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

By registering, each city will be displayed on the updated EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK website and will count towards their country’s total participation figure. Registration information can be updated at any time, so your city can register and provide more information about its activities later. The registration form is available in 28 languages.

Over the next two days the campaign's National Coordinators will meet at the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK workshops in Brussels (Belgium) to exchange ideas and information on encouraging cities to participate in the campaign, as well as on sustainable mobility more generally. A number of different EU-funded mobility projects will additionally be showcased, as well as successful local mobility campaigns from countries such as Portugal and Slovenia.

This evening will see the 2016 EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan Awards presented at a ceremony in Brussels’ Théâtre du Vaudeville. The finalists for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award are Lisbon (Portugal), Murcia (Spain), and Palma de Mallorca (Spain). The SUMP Award finalists are Malmö (Sweden), Utrecht (The Netherlands), and Vienna (Austria). To get updates on the award ceremony, follow EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK or DG MOVE on Twitter, or search for #MobilityWeek.

Germany prepares for EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK 2016

19 April 2016

Germany kicked off preparations for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK 2016 in the country with a national launch event on 14 and 15 April. The event was hosted by the German Environment Agency (UBA), which is the new national coordinating organisation for Germany. During the event, local and national coordinators from Austria, Germany and Luxembourg came together to share ideas and experiences on ensuring a successful EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

UBA’s Head of Environment and Transport Section, Katrin Dziekan, brought some philosophical aspects to the table by asking, “how do we go about achieving real sustainable urban mobility in towns and cities?” Germany’s new National Coordinator Claudia Kiso facilitated brainstorming rounds on how to realise campaign actions and define ideal permanent measures relating to this year’s call to action: Smart Mobility. Strong Economy.

Jerome Simpson, responsible for engagement and outreach for the campaign, said of the event, “I am absolutely delighted with the response shown by so many key transport players from across Germany, following the enthusiasm shown by UBA to take on the role of National Coordinator. This is the perfect start to the 2016 campaign for Germany and I can’t wait to see the registrations rolling in.”

The event was attended by German federal ministries, non-governmental organisations, city and public transport representatives and the European Commission. Participants made clear their support and commitment to this year’s campaign, while also highlighting the importance of SUMPs and sustainable urban mobility planning. In Leipzig-Gohlis, local citizen's initiative Gegen Schall und Rauch are already eagerly awaiting the entry of their city in this year’s campaign. Groups such as these or others like schools or companies can also register their own sustainable mobility activities that take place outside of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK as a MOBILITYACTION.

For more information about the event (in German) click here.

Belarus joins EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK with official National Coordination

12 April 2016

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has agreed to take on the role of Belarus National Coordinator, and are partnering with the Belarusian government to launch a new project that supports sustainable transport in Polotsk and Novopolotsk. Belarus' EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK preparations will be introduced during an event on integrated mobility planning, hosted by the Belarus Transport Union in Minsk on 26 April.

The Belarusian cities of Minsk, Novopolotsk and Polotsk took part in the 2015 edition of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. This was the first time that any cities from the country had participated in the history of the fourteen-year campaign. An informal meeting for those interesting in implementing EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Belarus in 2016 will take place at UNDP's office at 17 Kirava Street in Minsk on the morning of 27 April.

The cities' participation was supported by a number of NGOs, including the Belarus Transport Union, the Center for Environmental Solutions, the Interakcia Foundation, the Minsk Cycling Community, and the Green Network. The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK European Secretariat saw the opportunity to identify a national coordinator in the country, particularly after the UNDP in Belarus publically supported the campaign.

Belarus' new National Coordinator is Igar Tchoulba. To see the contact information for the National Coordinators, click here.