Source: European Parliament
16.10.2024
Question for written answer E-002103/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Elena Kountoura (The Left)
Road safety is a major societal issue in the European Union, since every year thousands of people lose their lives or are seriously injured in road accidents[1]. According to the European Court of Auditors’ Special report 04/2024[2], achieving the objective of halving fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 and reducing deaths to zero by 2050 does not appear feasible without additional efforts. The report finds that the Commission has not yet carried out an adequate assessment of national strategies’ contribution in achieving those objectives, and that improving road safety is not a priority in EU funding of road projects and infrastructure[3].
In view of this:
- 1.What specific steps is the Commission planning to reach the EU road safety targets more quickly?
- 2.What measures does it intend to take to ensure improved monitoring of investments by the Member States and the comparability of data on serious injury and death?
- 3.Will it examine the possibility of boosting funding for infrastructure projects that contribute to road safety and introducing new, stricter rules on the projects funded by the EU, in order to take into account their impacts on road safety when they are being selected and implemented?
Submitted: 16.10.2024
- [1] In 2023, 20 400 people lost their lives in road crashes across the EU, marking a 1 % decrease from the previous year. The current pace of decline falls short of the required 4.5 % annual reduction needed to achieve the EU’s goal of halving road deaths by 2030. https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/20400-lives-lost-eu-road-crashes-last-year-2024-10-10_en
- [2] Special report 04/2024: Reaching EU road safety objectives – Time to move up a gear. https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/publications?ref=sr-2024-04
- [3] The report also stresses that many of the co-funded projects were not located at sections of the road network with the highest accident rates or death rates, and that there was no requirement to estimate their potential contribution to road safety or to develop any outcome indicators, impacting investment effectiveness.