The Mobile World Congress has brought together senior political and business leaders to address the technological challenges facing the economy. Transport plays a fundamental role in the whole process and, for this reason, the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana V?lean (B?icoi, 1968) has not lost her cool. Graduated in Mathematics, the Romanian politician has a long career in Europe linked to the European People’s Party. She started in the early 2000s as a member of the European Parliament and in 2019 she became the head of the Transport committee.
How do you rate your participation in the congress?
Really good. It’s not the first time I’ve been there and I’d like to go back. The Mobile is a great opportunity to be with people I normally work with remotely. I have met with managers and participated in the ministerial debate table. The digital industry is key in the development of transport if we want it to be more sustainable, intelligent and resilient. In this sense, I would like to see more synergies between the telephone and transport companies.
How can technology help?
There are many examples, but the digitization of the railway is absolutely necessary. In the multi-year budget (2021-2027), with 24,000 million euros, we will allocate 70% to the modernization of the railway network. Especially, in cross-border projects. Digitization will be key to the control of passengers and goods and to electronic signaling.
How do you rate the liberalization of the railway service?
The market is not working well because there is still a lot of protectionism, especially in domestic markets. There are many companies that are state-owned and do business differently from private companies. I think we need a change of mentality, to understand that the rail network will be very profitable if it generates business throughout Europe and not only in national markets. In any case, the railway is a difficult infrastructure to build and pay for.
Given its key role in the economy, do you think Transport should have more weight in the budget policy of the European Union? Agriculture has always taken a good part of the cod…
After the crises we have faced in recent years, I think that transport has acquired a lot of relevance. But the current budget is not enough, especially in military mobility. We need 6,000 million euros to deal with the war in Ukraine and the states were only willing to disburse 1,700 million euros. Now they have discovered that bringing in more money would have been helpful.
Does this also happen in other areas linked to transport?
It is a general tonic. I have noticed that there is always an excess of applications in the calls for financing infrastructure projects. The initiatives are good, but we don’t have enough money to cover them. I hope that in the next budget the states will think better when it comes to providing funding.
There is a great debate about the environmental impact of the aviation sector. Do you think that European citizens fly more than necessary?
No, I don’t think we Europeans go by plane too much. In fact, I don’t think we go there enough. Transport is the backbone of the economy. I think from the EU we don’t need to tell people what kind of transport is good and what is bad. Who are we to tell them how to live? If citizens ask us to make better sustainability policies, we have solutions: we don’t need to fly less, we need to fly better.
To reduce the environmental impact of airplanes, the European Union obliges airlines to reduce emissions with less polluting fuels. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr recently stated that these are not realistic targets. Are you considering reviewing them?
I am surprised by the criticism, as Lufthansa has shown support for emission reduction targets. The plan we have approved is solid and has been drawn up based on scientific analyses. It is too early to assess whether it is realistic or not. The main problem facing airlines is the lack of production of alternative fuels.
So could the Commission reduce the requirements if the airlines do not meet the requirements?
At the moment it is too early to assess the plan, as the new requirements start in 2025 and only envisage the use of 2% alternative fuel. I trust that the plan will work. And if not, we’ll reevaluate it. Our policies are not set in stone.
We continue with the environmental impact of aviation. Would you support the controversial expansion of Barcelona airport?
Airports are hubs. They are much more than a place where people land and take off on a plane. There is a whole business around it. The airports are connected with the railway and with the seaports. If this business needs to expand, if there is a business case, I would encourage them to expand. As you expand, you can also become greener. There is European funding to achieve this.
How can an airport expand and, at the same time, be more ecological?
For example, planes on the ground will have the obligation to be connected to electricity so as not to burn fuel. In addition, airports can be supplied with renewable sources of energy. It is clear that it is essential to design an integrated plan for the entire infrastructure.
In Spain there is concern about the absorption of Air Europa by IAG. Lufthansa has also acquired control of Alitalia. Do you think that the consolidation of the European air market is good for passengers?
Well, it depends. The Commission is now assessing whether the merger would imply a monopoly on some routes. What interests us is the solidity of an airline because, if the company does not work well, it affects the economy, passengers and rights. It must not be forgotten that outside the EU there are wolves waiting to take their place, wolves that may be heavily subsidized by foreign governments. We must defend the European airline industry.
Speaking of prices, do you think flying is too cheap?
not at all I think prices have gone up in part because the EU is putting pressure on airlines with restrictions and levies, such as the new kerosene tax. From the Commission we monitor the prices. We would not like there to be people who could not afford to fly by plane.
And, in terms of car decarbonisation, how do you see the slow progress of the electric vehicle? Recently, the president of Renault, Luca de Meo, acknowledged that it is a product for the elite.
I can not comment on his words, but it is true that the prices are comparable to luxury ranges. It is because of the production costs, they are still too high.
What could the EU do to make these cars more affordable?
Governments can encourage their sale with subsidies, but I, as a politician, do not agree. I don’t think it’s fair that the entire population subsidizes with taxes a product that is quite in a vein. From the EU, we have imposed that in 2035 only new vehicles that are electric can be sold. We’ll see if it works. I really hope so, as we invest a lot of European money in the production of batteries to make them less expensive and more sustainable.
