European transport is currently at a tipping point, with new European policy and legislation to enable a smarter and more sustainable transport system across all transport modes: this will also have major implications for logistics.

The European Green Deal aiming for a carbon neutral economy by 2050 will affect all transport modes: road, rail, maritime and air given the ambitious goals to dramatically reduce emissions; this will also be high on the agenda of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference COP 26 in Glasgow in November 2021. Transport is today high on the agenda of all policy makers, in cities, at national and European level but also globally.

Road transport will be highly affected as road contributes among all transport modes to 75% of emissions: new CO2 reduction targets for all vehicle types will be again on the table. Electrification is becoming a major focus area with policy makers insisting on using more renewables. Transport policy and energy policy will come closer together.

Digital will also become the name of the game for both transport and logistics as it will evolve towards a more integrated mobility system across all transport modes with mobility as a service becoming increasingly important. Artificial Intelligence, connectivity, exchange of data and cyber security already have, and will only have deeper, impact on how to best organize a future mobility eco-system.

The move towards smarter and sustainable mobility will also affect infrastructure providers across all transport modes: it will require major investments in a new recharging infrastructure, in more intelligent transport systems where transport modes connect with infrastructure and where certain transport modes like rail will require further harmonisation efforts to make a more integrated European railway system feasible.

In the maritime community, the introduction of sustainable fuels and the potential of shipping to be brought under the emissions trading system (ETS) is no longer just a possibility being put forward by the European Commission.

This challenging transformation will require a constructive dialogue across all stakeholders in transport to foster a positive outcome for all.

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