Cities call for EU support for ambitious goals
At the CIVITAS Forum Conference that took place in Funchal, Portugal from 17-19 October, 200 European cities reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable urban transport and to ambitious emission reduction targets.
In the Funchal Statement - that contains recommendations to the EU and was handed over during the final plenary to Daniela Rosca, Head of Unit of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport - cities also called for EU leaders to commit to long-term funding to help them realise their ambitions. Deputy Mayor of Funchal Bruno Miguel Camacho Pereira who was elected new chair of the CIVITAS Political Advisory Committee (PAC) praised the statement as a significant milestone and stressed, “Without long-term EU support, cities will not have long-term success in the field of sustainable mobility.” Felix Leinemann, member of the cabinet of Siim Kallas, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Mobility and Transport acknowledged, “The Funchal Statement is an impressive indication of the power of what can happen when cities come together on important issues such as the future of sustainable urban mobility. We know that four out of five Europeans live in towns and cities, and the Commission is listening.” During the closing plenary, the host city for the next Forum Conference in autumn 2012 was revealed: CIVITAS MODERN city Vitoria-Gasteiz, which will also be European Green Capital 2012. For a glimpse of the city’s achievements, have a look at this video. Another highlight of the Forum were this year’s CIVITAS Awards that went to Utrecht and Ghent. Read about the awards ceremony and the cities’ achievements here. For more information about the CIVITAS Forum Conference 2011 including presentations and pictures, click here.
Author: CIVITAS Secretariat
