ECA Journal No 1/2019: Transport & Mobility

Mobility of people and goods is at the heart of the Single Market and therefore one of the core pillars of the European Union. Whether we are travelling to work, to school, on holiday, or in connection with some other activity, transport is part of our everyday life. But connecting people and goods requires networks, both physical and virtual, and the EU tries to stimulate this in several ways.

In this first ECA Journal of 2019, we ask what the EU is doing for transport and mobility. What are the EU's main objectives, what works well, and what doesn't? And what are the key concerns, now and in the future? Read our articles on the economic costs and benefits of transport and the work of the European Commission's Directorate General for Transport and INEA, its executive agency. We present the main challenges identified in the recent ECA landscape review on transport, and discuss the links between transport and the environment, clean air, and health and safety issues. Find out what auditors come across when they assess transport infrastructure projects.

This Journal features contributions from politicians active in this field at both EU and Member State level. It offers perspectives from auditors and evaluators in the EU and from overseas, including Japan. Look at mobility from the perspective of the users of different transport modes and gain insights into the financing of future transport projects. Or dive into more 'distant' issues, such as air traffic control and Galileo, the EU's global navigation satellite system.

EDITION HIGHLIGHTS

06 Reconciling transport and the environment - a dilemma that is there to stay

19 Moving from EU patchwork to EU network

31 EU passenger rights - auditing a policy that really matters to citizens

35 Being ECA's Mr Transport

57 Creating a level-playing field in the EU: fair opportunities for the different transport modes require regulatory action

62 EU auditor's recommendations contributing to a reassessment of public spending on part infrastructure in Italy

77 Passing common-or-garden trees, on a run-of-the-mill train

96 EIB leveraging finance to connect Europe through cleaner, smarter and safer mobility

Plus articles and interviews on connecting transport modes and policy; transport and climate; auditing Europe's air traffic management systems; the EU's drive for clean air; auditing EU infrastructure investments; a triple 'Directors' Cut' with two former and the current ECA directors responsible for transport audits; ECA Member Oskar Herics on high-speed rail; evaluating high speed rail in France and Japan; road motorway construction in the Czech Republic; main trends in transport audits in the EU; EU transport safety; the work of the European Parliament's EPRS - also concerning transport; and foresight perspectives for transport and mobility.

Furthermore, articles on how the ECA recently reached out to stakeholders, such as at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice; during the European Parliament's Conference of Committee Chairs; to the Belgium Parliament; and to other audit institutions (the Polish SAI). And on finding research and training synergies with academia.

ECA Journal No 1/2019: Transport & Mobility PDF