Road transport accounts for 71.9% of the overall emissions of the transport sector and one fifth of the EU's carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing emissions in road transport has proven to be a challenging undertaking due to obstacles such as growing congestion and a lack of coherence in implementing political, economic and environmental objectives at the EU and member state level. However, awareness of the challenge is growing across the EU. The European Commission’s 2011 Transport White Paper already included a target to reduce carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050. More recently, the European Strategy for low-emission mobility, presented last July, aims to increase the efficiency of the transport system, speed up the deployment of low-emission alternative energy for transport and move towards zero-emission vehicles. The aim of this Policy Dialogue, organised with the support of BT, was to address the opportunities and challenges related to reducing road transport emissions, the role of different actors, as well as how the EU can help to make the sector future-proof and more sustainable.

Speakers included: Annika Hedberg, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre (EPC), Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission, Steven Moore, principal consultant, sustainable business, BT, Folker Franz, Head of EU Public Affairs, ABB, Greg Archer, Director of Clean Vehicles, Transport & Environment