The Council has approved conclusions on a European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) report aiming to strengthen EU’s efforts to achieve its road safety objectives.
On 12 March 2024, ECA published its special report titled ‘Reaching EU road safety objectives – Time to move up a gear’, which provides an in-depth examination of the current state of play and trends in road safety in the EU. ECA underlines that the time is right for a policy evaluation to enable the continuous improvement of road safety and reach the ambitious targets of halving road fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 (compared to 2019) and getting as close as possible to zero road victims by 2050 via ‘Vision Zero’ or similar efficient strategies.
We all agree that overall progress towards meeting our road safety objectives is insufficient so far. We should therefore take immediate action on multiple fronts with a focus on active and more vulnerable road users, as well as involving public authorities at all levels, all road users, industry, and civil society actors to achieve better results. I am extremely happy that the text of Council conclusions we adopted today provides clear directions in this regard.
Georges Gilkinet, Belgian deputy prime minister and minister of mobility
The Council conclusions largely coincide with the ECA’s observations. However, as regards the aspect of harmonising the formulation and monitoring of key performance indicators for road safety, they underline the differences in methods, practices and national characteristics between member states which naturally limit these initiatives. The Council sees this variation as a valuable source for mutual learning and exchange of best practices, and considers that initiatives, including at European level, do not depend on a prior full harmonisation of methods.
The text also refers to commitments to ensure the safe coexistence of different means of transport, as expressed in the recently signed interinstitutional European declaration on cycling, or in the Stockholm Declaration on road safety, considering the growing importance of active modes of transport using micro-mobility devices, which create additional road safety challenges. It also reflects on ongoing projects (Trendline, Care, Road Safety Monitoring Tool) and legislative initiatives at European level (road safety package, vehicle regulation).
The text highlights the importance of investing on high-quality, resilient, and sustainable road infrastructure, and the related road safety planning obligations, as well as of interconnectivity and interoperability of data related to traffic to improve road safety management. Finally, the conclusions acknowledge the potential for road safety of innovative technologies, putting them into perspective regarding driver knowledge and behaviour and with regard to the co-existence with vulnerable road users and with users of human-controlled vehicles.