Thirty-six cities are uniting their forces to combat traffic and smog. That’s what emerged from the meeting held in recent days at Nantes, in France, where the annual meeting of the municipal administrations involved in the European Civitas programme, “aimed at fostering the development of alternative solutions to urban transport”, was held. Vice-President of the European Commission Jacques Barrot, who holds the transport portfolio, confirmed Brussels’ support for the project and the intention to enlarge it to other cities. The Commission will financially support and “promote the exchange of good practices and innovation in key sectors”, such as the presence of cars in town centres and the use of public transport. From 2007 the Executive will select a new group of local authorities to be involved in the project, especially focusing on those countries that recently joined the EU and that “see the number of vehicles in circulation rapidly growing”.
