EU transport policy at the ballot box

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EU transport policy may not be one of the EU election hot topics, but it certainly has an impact on how people think and feel as they head to the voting booths on 6-9 June.

This is particularly true in a rural context. According to a 2021 Eurobarometer survey, 44% of respondents consider that the EU should specifically consider the needs of rural areas when making transport spending decisions.

And 56% of those living in rural areas and villages want to see more developed local bus services and cycling paths.

In Europe’s cities, things are not much better.

The reality for many is either spending at least two hours in traffic jams, or trying to squeeze into packed trains or buses, sometimes with several transfers. At the end of the day, quality of life is impaired.

And transport is one of the unspoken issues feeding into a topic which is extremely hot – Europe’s housing crisis.

Many people are currently forced to compete for accommodation in the most central or well-connected areas. But better local connectivity could ease this rat race.

It is not necessarily a problem if people move out to the suburbs and peripheries of big cities – so long as they can still comfortably get to the places they need to be every day.

EU transport policy, by necessity, thinks big. It focused heavily on ambitious projects, large funding programmes, new technology, and cross-border coordination.

But often it’s the smaller, more local changes that make a difference to people’s lives. A reliable bus service, a heated train station or safer cycle lanes, for example.

National, regional and local governments tend to deal with these issues, and rightly so.

But Europe may no longer be able to focus exclusively on the big picture. This week’s European Parliament elections are expected to reward the far right, feeding off the discontent of frustrated renters and rural dwellers who feel left behind.

The EU has a diverse set of funding tools, including the Cohesion Fund – which has transport infrastructure as one of its two priorities. If the next Commission and Parliament wants to have a direct positive impact in people’s daily life, more money for local transport projects would be a very sensible bet.

[Bárbara Machado and Donagh Cagney]

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