Page 8 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2020 publication

8 Spring 2020 European Energy Innovation
TRANSPORT DECARBONISATION

Transport Decarbonisation

By Herald Ruijters, Director, European Commission, DG MOVE B - Investment, Innovative &
Sustainable Transport
be enough. Mobility is part of many needs of boosting freight transported
The European Green Deal aspects of our daily social life - we by rail and inland waterways. The
sets a clear ambition: the are mobile, because we go to work, implementation of the European
EU should become the first go shopping, visits friend, go on Rail Traffic Management System
climate neutral continent
by 2050. To reach this aim, transport holidays. It is an essential part of our (ERTMS) is a major milestone to be

needs to reduce its emissions by overall social agenda. reached. We are therefore working

90 percent by 2050 compared to on a revision of the TEN-T Regulation.

1990. The transport sector is still The Commission is now working We will also work to set further

seeing growing emissions rates; on a comprehensive strategy for provisions for greening of our ports

reversing this trend is hence a major sustainable and smart mobility that and airports, including the use of

challenge. Yet it also comes with new leaves no one behind. It will support alternative fuels.

opportunities for jobs, growth and the Commission ambition to

better quality of life, in the end. increase the level of emission Indeed, for aviation and waterborne

reduction under the 2030 climate transport, decarbonisation will

In order to decarbonise transport, and energy targets, as announced primarily pass through energy

and reduce other pollutant emissions by President von der Leyen. efficiency measures and the

as well, we need to drastically deployment of alternative fuels, such

improve efficiency of the overall We do not need to start this as sustainable advanced biofuels,

transport system, reduce its energy discussion from scratch. By e-fuels and bio-LNG. We need to

consumption and push for the use November 2018, the Commission put in place measures to speed up

of least polluting modes of transport already adopted a long-term climate their deployment in these transport

wherever possible. We need to strategy proposal. It has been subject modes, and to ensure that limited

decarbonise transport fuels across all to intensive debate by Member resources – such as sustainable

transport modes, coupled with a fleet States, which have endorsed the feedstocks for advanced biofuels and

conversion to low and zero-emission objective of climate neutrality. The biomethane – are used in the most

vehicles and vessels. strategy provides a set of scenarios efficient way.

how to achieve overall climate

Technology engineering alone will not neutrality and the action required in Vehicle manufacturers are now

the transport sector. investing heavily into electrification

Herald Ruijters We already put in place relevant of their fleet. Many vehicles will
come in the market over the next

policies in the context of the Mobility years. Now we need to ensure a

Packages of the last Commission. The sufficient coverage of alternative fuels

CO2 emission performance standards infrastructure. Users should be able
for cars, vans and trucks provide a to recharge their electric vehicles

clear incentive for the deployment or refuel any other alternative fuels

of low- and zero-emission vehicles. vehicle everywhere in the EU, as

The new Clean Vehicles Directive easily as they do now for diesel or

will mobilise the power of public petrol vehicles. The Green Deal sets

procurement to support the the ambitious objective of having

deployment of these vehicles, 1 million public recharging and

particularly in the bus segment. refuelling points in place by 2025.

We are preparing a revision of the

Work on completing the trans- Alternative Fuels Infrastructure

European transport networks is Directive.

continuing. We are making the steps

towards real high-speed rail networks These actions need to complement

across borders in the EU, offering a our drive towards increasing

new and attractive travel alternative transport efficiency, particularly in

for citizens. We will also address the densely populated urban areas. We

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