Efforts to encourage commuters to move away from private cars towards more sustainable transport remain insufficient, particularly at local level, according to a special report published on Wednesday by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). The report assesses how effectively EU policies and funding support sustainable urban mobility across member states, including Malta.
Most EU citizens live in urban areas, where economic activity generates heavy traffic and pollution. While responsibility for transport policy lies primarily with national and local authorities, the EU has allocated around €60 billion between 2014 and 2027 to promote alternatives to car use. These include investments in regional rail, tram networks, cycling infrastructure and multimodal transport hubs.
The EU’s main policy tool is the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), made compulsory for 431 cities in 2024. However, auditors found several weaknesses in the plans examined, limiting their effectiveness. These included poor links between transport and spatial planning, lack of clarity on funding availability, and planning based on administrative boundaries rather than actual commuter flows.
The ECA also found that cars generally allow access to more areas within 45 minutes than public transport, even during peak hours. Measures to discourage car use were less common than those promoting public transport.
The auditors noted that while most EU-funded projects were delivered as planned, some failed to significantly address commuters’ needs due to weak planning or poor coordination between neighbouring authorities.
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