The President of Valle D'Aosta Region and EA Group coordinator in the COTER commission has pointed out during the COR Plenary debate on the implementation of the White paper on Transport that there are regions such as mountainous areas, sparsely populated areas, rural areas and border regions, that by their very nature are in a disadvantaged position, and they are not given sufficient attention when it comes to shaping EU policies aimed at achieving greater territorial cohesion and balanced and sustainable economic development .To ensure quality transport at pan-European level it is necessary to focus not only on the trans-European transport networks but also on secondary traffic hubs and how to ensure the connection of local and regional transport networks to large networks, Mr Rollandin added.
New solutions taking account of the needs of providers of transport services operating outside the urban centres should be found, ensuring greater accessibility and reasonable costs for the users while exploiting the potential of new technologies. As regards the promotion and development of sustainable transport systems contributing to the transition towards a low-carbon economy and to promote growth and jobs, there is a need for political and financial support for research and innovation addressing the challenges of territories with specific geographical features, particularly mountainous and rural areas where intermodality and the shift towards more sustainable transport is more difficult to implement difficult to promote due to higher costs.
