This year has been another hugely successful one for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign. Record participation has been seen in a slew of countries, others have seen registrations reach levels not seen for a long, long time. There have also been a host of new countries involved for the first time, among them the little state of Moldova, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine.

A call, issued by the country’s State Ecological Inspectorate, a body subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, in September, served as the source of inspiration for its local inspectorates, galvanising Moldovan towns and cities into action. It’s not an uncommon practice to see such missives being sent, Russia, Turkey and others doing the same in 2018.

Its principal goal was to encourage communities to capitalize on the week as a means to address "the alarming situation created by the intense pollution of air in urban centers through car use.” Although the central theme of this year’s ‘Week’ was #MixAndMove in line with the European Commission’s ‘year of multi-modality,’ Moldova rallied its towns to respect the mantra: “Clean Air for All.”

Campaign activities were subsequently reported on the inspectorate’s message board in eight principal locations. For example, in Ungheni, at the border with Romania, a cycle race entitled "Give up the car, take the bicycle!" took place, while in nearby Călăraşi, ecological classes were hosted by a brace of educational institutions while working groups discussed local air protection measures. In Lipoveni, south of the capital, Chisinau, as in Criuleni to the east, besides cycling contests, locals were encouraged to become ‘the fastest athlete,’ and to sign up for a drawing competition. Participants were then rewarded with diplomas and gifts. Somewhat unusually named Edinet, to the north, hosted its Car-Free Day on 22 September, with the central square witnessing celebrations dedicated to the promotion of environmental protection that brought together a series of fun events including "The best skateboard sportsman." And in a unique move, only seen otherwise in Germany, the city linked up with neighbouring Chernivtsi in Ukraine, which served as the final stop in a cycle tour that included a visit to Briceni on September 17. There, hundreds of citizens turned out to spur on cyclists demonstrating a healthy lifestyle that also contributes to environmental protection. Their passage was well received by locals, who came up with questions and suggestions, while some even got on the bike and joined in.

Local media was quick to pick up on similar events in Soroca, where Observatorul de Nord published an article on the importance of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK actions on "Motorized Traffic: Problems and Alternatives." In Lipoveni, Gazeta de Sud and ProMedia too reported on local events. In the southern town of Gagauzia, local TV and radio station interviews also garnered prime time space.

It may be regarded as slightly disappointing that Moldova’s larger cities did not get involved. However, according to Ina Coseru, who heads up Moldova’s National Environmental Center, “in our small country with its limited resources, cooperation is key. For example, we are emboldened by the fact that the road-safety focused Automobile Club Moldova is keen to lend its support to the campaign. We also must link up with the GEF-financed Green Cities project that launched this year and includes a greener transport component for Chisinau. It will continue next year, so we definitely need to involve all the relevant authorities at local level and ask the project to support their initiatives.”

Fortunately, the state inspectorate will invite all participants to report back and the European Secretariat looks forward to hearing of further activities, hopefully in Moldova’s larger cities too.

Beyond Moldova, EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK ‘debuts’ were also seen from Georgia to Peru, and from Mongolia to South Africa. All in all, some 54 countries got involved, which just goes to show the campaign’s reach in its seventeenth year. Roll on 2019!

Yesterday the European Commission launched for the 17th time EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, its flagship campaign that runs from 16–22 September annually with the aim to improve quality of life by promoting clean mobility and sustainable urban transport. Over 2,400 towns and cities from 50 countries will hold events to mark this year’s celebration, giving people the opportunity to explore the role of mobility in their daily lives and to experiment with clean transport modes. EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK culminates in the trademark car-free day.

EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc has declared 2018 the ‘Year of Multimodality’, which has defined the theme of this year’s EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK:  “Mix and Move!”. It encourages people to see how their daily travel needs can be met more efficiently, more cost-effectively, and more enjoyably by mixing transport modes.

Commissioner Bulc said: “With this year's edition of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, we want to encourage everyone to consider different mobility options and select the most appropriate ones for each trip. By mixing the ways we move, we can save time, improve our health, and lower our transport costs. This week is also an opportunity for cities to accelerate this social shift by making sure the right services and infrastructure are in place.”

Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: “Mixing and moving means supporting a transition to a more human transport system. It means promoting cleaner, more fuel-efficient modes, and more human-powered travel. It’s a great way of keeping the focus at the local level and helping European towns and cities to improve the environmental performance of their transport system. It means cleaner air, quieter cities, and healthier citizens – what’s not to like?”

Local authorities that make significant efforts to promote sustainable urban mobility during the campaign can apply for the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards until 23 October 2018. Local authorities can also apply by 1 October 2018 for the SUMP Award, which recognises local and regional authorities for excellence in sustainable urban mobility planning.

On 19 September the 2018 EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK will also include the third edition of the European day without a road death, which aims at raising awareness on road safety.

For more information, click here.

The importance of transport’s social dimension is becoming increasingly clear - mobility shapes lives and prospects. It is crucial that transport systems are environmentally friendly, inclusive, efficient, and centred on meeting diverse user needs. Yet how can this be accomplished?

Under the banner of "Mobility for U and Me", this year's CIVITAS Forum Conference will gather hundreds of policymakers, city representatives, academics, and practitioners in Umeå (Sweden) from 19-21 September to debate this critical question.

Over these three days, they will also witness the pioneering sustainable urban mobility measures moving Europe towards an inclusive and multimodal mobility future. With 2018 declared the "Year of Multimodality" by Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner  for Mobility and Transport, the Forum comes at the perfect time.

High-profile speakers at the event include Lena Erixon, Director of the Swedish Transport Administration; Maja Bakran Marcich, Deputy Director-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), European Commission; and Stina Nilimaa Wickström, Vice President of Product Design, Volvo Group.

Exciting and insightful sessions hosted by selected experts will delve into the most urgent mobility topics, including multimodality, Mobility as a Service, co-creation, e-mobility, and smart mobility solutions.

Programme highlights include:

Take-up and transfer sessions

A new feature this year, these enable participants to get hands-on with and see cutting-edge urban mobility tools and methods in action. Engaging formats such as walkshops and study tours await.

Site visits

Umeå is one of Scandinavia's leading exponents of sustainable urban development and mobility. A series of site visits will reveal why, including tours of the city's smart university district and gender-sensitive infrastructure.

CIVITAS Awards

The CIVITAS Awards showcase Europe’s most forward-thinking sustainable urban mobility policy and measures. These will be given out on the Forum's second evening in a ceremony at Umeå's cultural hub, the Folkets Hus.

Registration and programme

Attendance is free of charge.

To explore the latest draft programme and to register, click here.

Three new videos have been launched showcasing the sustainable mobility activities of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award winners for 2017. The videos were filmed on location in Vienna (Austria), Igoumenitsa (Greece), and Turda (Romania), and feature interviews with key mobility experts within the municipalities.

Each video showcases how the award-winning city is working to make sustainable transport the number one choice for citizens. The Austrian capital’s popular bicycle-sharing system – which now includes cargo-bikes – is highlighted, as is the expansion of the Viennese metro system, as well as the city’s efforts to increase the number of journeys made by foot.

In Igoumenitsa, the municipality is working to change the mobility culture, promoting cleaner and healthier ways of getting around. To reduce the use of private vehicles, the Greek city is implementing measures to improve public transportation.

The drafting of Turda’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan forms the focus of its video, particularly efforts to save residents time and hassle in getting from A to B.

Through these videos, viewers are granted a look at the innovative activities and measures that led these cities to success at the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards ceremony in Brussels.

To view the video on Vienna, click here.

To view the video on Igoumenitsa, click here.

To view the video on Turda, click here.

On 10 July, a kick-off event for the planning of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK was held in Ankara, Turkey. The event was organised by the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, who are responsible for the national coordination of the campaign in Turkey. Jerome Simpson (EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK European Secretariat) joined around 100 enthusastic participants in discussing how the upcoming campaign will take shape across the country this year from 16-22 September. Among the participants were representatives from nearly 70 towns and cities.

The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, Christian Berger, mentioned that previous years had seen around 7 municipalities participate in the campaign, and that hopes were high to top this number in 2018. He added, "Our municipalities are of course the first to get involved in finding a solution whenever we face a problem in today's cities. And we mark Mobility Week in Turkey in the third week of September each year. Our main theme has to do with getting more people to use public transport. But what needs to be emphasized here is the diversification of modes of mass public transport. Our efforts on this theme are ongoing."

Göktug Kara, Transport Sector Head of Unit at the Delegation of the European Union said “We hope to get a record participation this September and with almost 1400 municipalities being members of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, there is no reason why we can’t rank alongside Austria’s five hundred plus annual registrations!”

For a list of current reigstered cities in Turkey, click here.