Conference

update: October 5, 2004

Parallel Sessions
Within the programme we give you the opportunity to choose which session(s) you would like to attend. More information about the sessions you'll find when you click on the specific session in the form and/or immediately after the form.

Parallel Sessions An Overview

Day 1, October 19 (3.30 - 5.00 p.m)

Session 1
Public/private leadership:
taking 12 multinationals up on their offer

Introductory speech: Steve Howard, The Climate Group
Round table discussion moderated by: Anders Wijkman, member European Parliament

A clear message from the WBCSD Mobility 2030 Report is that if we are to achieve sustainable mobility, it will require contributions from every part of society throughout the world. The fact that CEO’s of twelve multinationals have personally committed to it, is an offer we think governments and the Commission should act upon. How are we going to do this? In this parallel session we will explore the current rules of the game. Are they sufficient to achieve our goals?

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Session 2
Tackling the challenges:
looking for a common understanding on the sence of urgency and the role of the transport sector

Introductory speeches: Corrado Clini, Ministry of Environment, Italy Jacqueline McGlade, European Environmental Agency
Round table discussion moderated by: Richard Gilbert, Centre for Sustainable Transportation, Toronto

In this session we will address the 'urgency' of the challenges and how this affects the transport sector itself and the realisation of effective strategies for dealing with these challenges in the transport sector with a special focus on GHG emissions and securing energy supply. Discussion items will include:

• What determines the urgency of the challenges and the willingness of parties to commit themselves to dealing with these? And how is the sense of urgency related to the position and motivation of the various key players?
• What added value is offered by an integrated approach to the challenges? How could the challenges strengthen one another as driving forces in increasing the sense of urgency and in a strategy for dealing with these?
• What are the current arguments in respect of whether or not the transport sector is to play a significant role in tackling the challenges? And what would change the answer to this over time?
• How can we proceed from here, and accelerate the required innovation process and reduce the costs of CO2 measures in the transport sector? What role could new policy instruments (e.g. the emission trading system) play in this regard?

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Session 3
Fuels and power trains:
looking for a viable range of promising options

Introductory speeches: Matthias von Randow, Federal Ministry of Transport, Germany Bruno Costes, Peugeot-Citroën S.A. (PSA), France Peter Tjan, European Petroleum Industry Association
Round table discussion moderated by: Lee Schipper, Embarq, USA

During the conference we would like to discuss the necessity and possibility to come to a viable range of promising options of clean low-carbon vehicles and fuels. Specific questions are the following:

• What should be the most important selection criteria or considerations for limiting the range of promising options?
• What options give most added value for European industry, and what does industry need from governments to maintain/strengthen its competitive position?
• Do parties agree that governments (Commission and Member States) should define technology-neutral ambitions as a framework for industry to develop its products?
• What could then be effective generic incentives that governments can give to industrial consortia?
• How should governments deal with the tension between setting technology-neutral objectives and sometimes stimulating market introduction of specific technical solutions?

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Day 2, October 20 (10.45 - 12.15 a.m)

Session 4
Improving energy efficiency:
a no-regret option for making short term progress

Introductory speeches: Neville Jackson, Ricardo, United Kingdom Government representative from Hungary (invited) Dick van den Broek Humphreij, EVO, The Netherlands
Round table discussion moderated by: Malcolm Fergusson, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), United Kingdom

During the conference we will discuss opportunities for short-term (i.e. until 2015) options for improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions in road transport. We will focus on both the potential for improvement of vehicle technology and on behaviour (ecodriving) and organisational (logistics) innovations. Specific questions include:

• What is the energy-saving potential of short-term improvements of vehicle technology (engines, hybridisation, weight reduction, downsizing) and what are the costs for manufacturers, consumers and treasury?
• What are technologies that could bridge the gap between the short and the long-term challenges?
• What is the commercial viability of such possible improvements and what is needed to bring them onto the market?
• How can the potential of low cost non-technical innovations (e.g. eco-driving and logistics innovations) be exploited across Europe?

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Session 5
Kickstarting markets:
breaking the chicken-and-egg dilemma

Introductory speech: Per Carstedt, BioAlcohol Fuel Foundation, Sweden Round table discussion moderated by: Adnan Rahman, Rand Europe

During the conference we intend to discuss the above issues and investigate the roles of the three stakeholder groups – industry, consumers and governments – in breaking the chicken-and-egg dilemma. The case of the successful market introduction of ethanol vehicles in Sweden will be used to take the issues from a theoretical to a practical level. Issues for the discussion are the following:

• Is the description of the challenge in terms of a chicken-and-egg dilemma a fruitful one?
• Is there agreement about the roles of the stakeholders as described?
• How should the stakeholders work together to break the chicken-and-egg dilemma?
• Is the key in the hands of governments as suggested?
• Can governments agree on taking the approaches mentioned, especially on convergence and EU harmonisation of incentives?

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Session 6
Sustainable urban transport:
clean vehicles for healthy cities

Introductory speeches: Robert Thaler, Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management Isabelle Dussutour/Enrico Zanelli, POLIS Speaker from Policy Advisory Committee CIVITAS cities (invited)
Round table discussion moderated by: Udo Becker, University of Technology Dresden, Germany

Competent cities and regions are primarily responsible for promoting clean urban transport. They can benefit strongly from exchange of knowledge and learning among each other about good practices. But they may also need support from Member States and European Commission who could be encouraged to set out clear framework policies and regulations. During the conference we want to address the question what this support should consist of:

• What can or should the Member States do?
• (How) do cities perceive obstacles where intervention by Europe is needed to take them away?
• Where does industry come in? Can they be partners to develop strategies for city development?
• (How) is the situation in cities in the new Member States different from that in the old states?
• (How) should the Commission deal with urban transport, e.g. in the mid-term review of the White Paper on European Transport Policy, and include concrete actions related to transport in the European Environment & Health Action Plan 2004-2010?

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