TRAN

Replace My Car: With the EU planning to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, creating low-emission zones started to gain popularity, implying that thousands of personal cars will have to be replaced for some citizens to gain access to low-emission zones in some European cities. Considering the social implications of exchanging cars for the more socially…

Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN)

Replace My Car: With the EU planning to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, creating low-emission zones started to gain popularity, implying that thousands of personal cars will have to be replaced for some citizens to gain access to low-emission zones in some European cities. Considering the social implications of exchanging cars for the more socially disadvantaged part of the population, how should the EU tackle the possibility of transport-related exclusion arising?

Submitted by: Isilde Cachia (NL), Rena Mishima(NL), Hugo Westera (NL), Roan Daemen (NL), Nova Mallee (NL), Ruben Noordam (NL), Carice Bakker (NL), Lucas van Bemmel (NL); Chaired by: Victor Musti (FR)

The European Youth Parliament,

  1. Alarmed by the financial constraints faced by approximately 35 million low-income European citizens struggling to replace their vehicles in compliance with low-emission zones1 requirements,
  2. Conscious of the rise of social exclusion of low-income households caused by these policies, increasing the segregation of these people,
  3. Emphasising the poor connectivity of public transportation systems to polluted low-income working areas,
  4. Deploring the insufficient budget for alternative infrastructure as a substitute for personal vehicles,
  5. Concerned by the lack of nuanced pricing mechanisms2 based on financial means in most of the Member States,
  6. Taking into account the adverse public sentiment and low acceptance levels toward the concept of low-emission zones among citizens;

The committee,

  1. Calls upon the  Directorate General on Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) to make electric cars more accessible to low-income individuals by:
    • dedicating a part of its Connecting Europe Facility Transport fund to introducing a public and non-profit electric car company targeted at low-income consumers only,
    • creating a fund offering a discount on the purchase of electric vehicles (EV)3 in exchange for the return of combustion engine vehicles (CEV)4,
    • establishing  grants on EVs’ charging stations for low-income individuals;
  2. Encourages Member States to make their public transportation systems more affordable by turning them into non-profit organisations;
  3. Recommends local municipalities to help lower carbon emission and transport exclusion by expanding the network of affordable community cars and bikes, following the successful examples of Barcelona and Brussels;
  4. Urges Member States to review their current LEZ-related fine system and make it more equitable by:
    • systematically basing fines’ amount on the income of the penalised individual,
    • utilising a fixed and predictable monthly fee instead of a single-visit one;
  5. Asks the Directorate General on Communication (DG COMM) to raise awareness and emphasise the importance and benefits of LEZs within the European Union by launching media campaigns.
  1. A low-emission zone is a defined area that restricts the use of polluting vehicles through priced or non-priced strategies, such as fines or impact on the driver’s licence. ↩︎
  2. A nuanced pricing mechanism is a way of determining the amount of a fine to be paid by looking at the person’s income or financial means. ↩︎
  3. Electric vehicles are fully electric, with rechargeable batteries and no gasoline engine, making their utilisation emission-free. ↩︎
  4. Combustion engine vehicles are powered by gasoline-alimented engines, generating important carbon emission during utilisation. ↩︎