Current Developments, Publications and Future Events in the Mobility Area

28 July 2023

News

GREENET (the international network of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Cluster 5 Climate, Energy and Mobility) launched its Partner Search Tool. This is a unique opportunity to generate new contacts and collaborate on potential Horizon Europe projects. Meetings will take place in a dedicated area and will be arranged in advance by means of this website throughout the whole year (2023). The second purpose of the GREENET platform is online events. Visit the platform and register here.
The EC is proposing 10 new partnerships to be launched in the 2^nd half of Horizon Europe. These will cover topics including brain health, cultural heritage, solar power, and textiles, adding to the current portfolio of 49 joint research programmes. The concept papers for proposed candidate partnerships are available online. The full list of new proposed partnership is as follow:
- Brain Health
- Forests and Forestry for a Sustainable Future
- Innovative Materials for EU
- In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation
- Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition
- Resilient Cultural Heritage
- Social Transformations and Resilience
- Solar Photovoltaics
- Textiles of the Future
- Virtual Worlds

The European Union and New Zealand have signed an agreement for the participation of New Zealand in EU Programmes. The agreement opens the doors to New Zealand’s participation in the framework programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe (2021-2027). New Zealand and the EU will cooperate in research projects related to climate change and carbon-neutrality but also in other areas such as big data, precision agriculture, sustainable energy, earthquake research and industrial innovation.
The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) adopted the new joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda, which aims to transform and increase the innovative capacities and achievements of European and African researchers and innovators into tangible outputs, such as products, services, businesses and jobs. The Agenda includes 4 objectives, with short-, medium- and long-term actions, grouped according to the priority areas of AU-EU Cooperation in Research and Innovation (R&I), namely Public Health, Green Transition, Innovation and Technology and Capacities for Science, in addition to Cross-cutting issues. More information online.
DG MOVE Study - Inventory of maritime green financial instruments - Targeted survey: The European Commission (DG MOVE) has commissioned Ricardo to undertake a study to assess the situation in terms of demand and supply of finance for the maritime sector and develop a living inventory in the form of a toolbox of the available financing instruments, tools and products that are relevant to support investments in decarbonising the shipping sector. The results of this survey are critical for understanding the European maritime sector and its green financing needs.

The European Commission has appointed Magda Kopczynska as Director-General at the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). From 2014 to 2022 she was Director for two different Directorates in DG MOVE, including ‘Innovative and Sustainable transport' and ‘Waterborne Transport' and previously she also headed various units in the same DG. Before starting her career at the Commission`s former Directorate-General Internal Market and Services (DG MARKT) in 2006, she held a variety of positions in the public, private and non-governmental sectors.

Publications

The European Parliament published a guide to EU funding, available online.
The JRC published a report on Post-pandemic trends in urban mobility. While changes in lifestyles -mainly as regards work patterns- have decreased total urban transport activity, the gradual return to pre-pandemic levels suggests that traffic and congestion levels may soon exceed their 2019 levels. Apart from the question of total transport activity, the trends identified in this report can influence modal choice and trip distances, with possible negative repercussions in terms of transport costs, congestion and emissions. Please find more information online.
The Commission released the 2023 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) and the bi-annual edition of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS). The EIS provides an extensive comparative analysis of innovation performance among EU Member States, as well as other European countries and regional neighbours, while the RIS allows for a closer examination of the innovation performance within European regions. The European Innovation Scoreboard 2023 highlights a substantial improvement in the innovation performance of approximately 8.5% since 2016, confirming the EU's commitment to fostering a culture of innovation. More information online.
ACEA published its yearly report “Electric cars: Tax benefits & purchase incentives”, an updated overview of fiscal measures for purchasing electric cars in the 27 EU member states. The expanded 2023 edition now includes Iceland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Please find the document online.
In its report ‘Scientific advice for the determination of an EU-wide 2040 climate target and a greenhouse gas budget for 2030–2050’, the EU’s advisory body on climate change provides EU institutions with a science-based estimate of a 2040 climate target and an EU greenhouse gas emissions budget for the period 2030-2050. The report also outlines possible pathways and related overarching policy choices to achieve the necessary emission reductions. More information online.
The JRC Foresight team published a Science for Policy report ‘Towards a fair and sustainable Europe 2050: Social and economic choices in sustainability transitions’ which underpins the European Commission’s fourth Strategic Foresight Report. The focus of this year’s foresight exercise, is on a carbon-neutral EU in 2050.