From 30 September to 2 October 2025, around 800 delegates gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania \u2013 the European Green Capital 2025 \u2013 for\u00a0the European Commission\u2019s flagship event on urban mobility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Organised by the European Commission\u2019s department for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) and the City of Vilnius the conference drew in policymakers, city and regional authorities, researchers, industry and mobility practitioners to explore how the EU can move faster towards its sustainable urban mobility goals.<\/p>\n
Shared challenges and priorities\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each conference day focused on a specific theme \u2013 urban nodes, cycling and public transport \u2013 while common priorities emerged throughout:<\/p>\n
Sessions covered topics ranging from automated mobility and active travel to multimodal hubs and digital integration. Participants exchanged experiences on how cities are improving transport efficiency, advancing decarbonisation and encouraging more sustainable travel behaviour.<\/p>\n
EU support delivering tangible benefits\u00a0<\/p>\n
CINEA was strongly represented across the event, with numerous Horizon Europe urban mobility research projects featured in sessions and exhibitions. These projects, managed by CINEA, show how EU-funded research and innovation deliver tangible benefits for Europe\u2019s cities \u2013 improving environmental performance, competitiveness and inclusiveness.<\/p>\n
Between 2021 and 2025, almost \u20ac430 million has been allocated under Horizon Europe to urban mobility research and innovation.<\/strong> The projects span areas such as urban space planning, multimodal traffic management, logistics and road safety, all contributing to Europe\u2019s wider green and digital transport transitions. [See our new infographic <\/a>for more details.]<\/p>\n Beyond research, CINEA supports the deployment of innovative mobility solutions through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) \u2013 the EU\u2019s main funding instrument for strategic transport infrastructure.<\/p>\n Connecting ideas to implementation<\/p>\n During UMD 2025, CINEA marked the signature of three new CEF co-funded grant agreements for feasibility and design studies of multimodal passenger hubs in France and Italy.<\/strong> Supported by over \u20ac14 million in EU funding, the projects will help cities including Marseille, Nice, Milan, Turin, Rome and Bari prepare high-quality investments that make everyday travel more sustainable and accessible.<\/p>\n In Nice, for example, a CEF-supported study will link rail, airport, tram and bus services, increasing rail capacity by 50% and ensuring full accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility. These projects demonstrate how CINEA connects research, policy and implementation to move Europe\u2019s mobility vision from ideas to reality.<\/p>\n Future-proofing multimodal hubs<\/p>\n Speaking in the session on\u00a0\u2018Multimodal passenger hubs:\u00a0connecting the city and the TEN-T network\u2019,\u00a0CINEA Director Paloma Aba Garrote<\/strong> stressed that well-connected urban nodes are key to Europe\u2019s transport transition: \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMultimodal passenger hubs are at the heart of Europe\u2019s transport transformation \u2013 linking local, regional and European networks. CINEA plays a unique role in moving these hubs from concept to implementation, managing EU programmes that reduce risk and enable investment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She highlighted lessons from several CINEA-managed projects:<\/p>\n Elsewhere, CINEA\u2019s former Head of Transport Research Unit, Marcel Rommerts,<\/strong> led a lively discussion on how cities can select the most effective public transport modes \u2013 from metros to trams \u2013 to meet sustainability and efficiency goals.<\/p>\n Collaboration driving transformation<\/p>\n UMD 2025 made clear that transforming mobility is not only about infrastructure or technology \u2013 it is about people, health, safety and inclusive communities. Achieving this requires collaboration across cities, sectors and borders. By connecting knowledge, funding and innovation, CINEA is helping cities across Europe design, test and deliver the next generation of sustainable mobility solutions.<\/p>\n More<\/p>\n\n
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