Transport Working Group

Chair: France

The first objective of the Transport Protocol of the Alpine Convention is "to pursue a sustainable transport policy which will reduce the negative effects of and risks posed by intra-Alpine and transalpine transport to a level which is not harmful to people, flora and fauna and their environments and habitats” (art. 1 (a)). "Promoting sustainable transport" is also one of the six priorities set in the Multiannual Work Programme 2017-2022 of the Alpine Convention, with the  aim of decoupling economic growth from an ever-increasing transport demand. 
 
The Transport Working Group was initially established elaborate and negotiate the Transport Protocol of the Alpine Convention, which was adopted in 2000. Since then, the Working Group continued its activities for more than 20 years, covering many different aspects and addressing the challenges to promote sustainable transportation of persons and goods in the Alps. 

In recent years, major areas of focus for the WG have been the assessment and internalisation of the real cost of road and rail transport, sustainable passenger mobility, innovative logistics solutions, modal shift and combined transport as well as the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and the reduction of transport demand. In addition to this, the Transport Working Group also regularly exchanges information with different bodies working on transport in the Alps, such as EUSALP AG4 and the Zurich Process.

The XVI Alpine Conference held in December 2020 mandated the Transport working group with a set of new tasks, which mirror the most current and relevant fields of actions for sustainable transportation in the Alps. In particular, the Group will:

• Continue the work on the external costs of transport in the Alpine area;
• Contribute to the topic of policies and instruments for sustainable mobility in the Alpine area;
• Finish assessing the potential of technologies for the promotion of sustainable passenger transport;
• Provide advice for improving the accessibility of remote mountain destinations with integrated transport systems or multimodal mobility;
• Analyse the effects of the evolution of commuters’ behaviours in the Alpine area, with particular respect to the developments triggered by the recent sanitary crisis.

Contact: 
Michel Rostagnat, French Ministry for the Ecological Transition
michel.rostagnat@polytechnique.org