In June 2020, OPEN ENLoCC published a position paper on the importance of the INTERREG in the transport sector, which was signed also from more than 150 Organizations around Europe. Its main aim was to highlight the strategic nature of transport priority and to introduce and suggest some further advices on how to properly address such priority within the upcoming programming period, 2021-2027.

Freight transport is a silent sector, which is currently suffering the crisis of our last years and the fluctuation of the fuel costs due to the war in Ukraine.

European Commission set ambitious targets in the last years to reduce emissions and to make EU a more livable territory.

Although restrictions and rules were adopted, transport is the only sector which increased emissions in the last years, and the solution is far away. The reason is on the behavior of consumers and on a wrong perception from the public sector, which is not fully aware of transport supply chains.

Europe is funding several projects on freight transport thanks to different Funding programmes. In particular 1)Horizon Europe, mainly dedicated to the innovation and more market side, 2)Connecting Europe Facility to support the completion of the TEN-T Network within 2030 (core) and 2050 (comprehensive), 3)Life the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action, and finally 4)INTERREG, which is the focus of this virtual event.

It is very important to make the Public sector (which make the rules) and the private one (which deliver goods) closer. To keep it sustainable, it is fundamental to apply several conditions and restrictions, like as green vehichles, reduction of public space, definition of time windows in city center, eco-driving, etc. Freight Transport is ready to use new technologies, adopt new concepts and define new collaborative paths (also horizontal collaborations among transport operators for example) in the private sector, to achieve the reduction of emissions, to maximize the use of land and to collect data useful for planning purposes for Public Administrations.

In our opinion INTERREG is the only funding Programme able to allow this at European Level. Collaborative research, common methodologies, development of action plans and definition of new rules, aslo after a pilot test is the most interesting tool Europe has at disposal, able to reduce the distance between public and private sectors.