Oslo and Akershus have provisional plans for transport and spatial development to achieve sustainable growth due to be adopted by the end of 2015. Implementation is likely to meet conflicts of interests between the travel modes, especially in terms of space allocation. The region is looking for ways to develop and improve mobility planning that include all transport modes, and ways to bridge the gap between mobility and land use planning. An integrated approach to finding agreed solutions is sought. SUMP will be adopted as a tool to help planners and politicians prioritise in each case.

In the policy document, “Sustainable Growth, goals and strategies focusing on regional structure”, The Goteborg Region Association of Local Authorities (GR) sets out a number of fundamental elements of a regional structure necessary to improve in order to achieve an attractive and sustainable region. The main objective for this policy document is to contribute to long-term sustainable development within the Gothenburg region. Such development covers three basic and mutually dependent dimensions – the social, the environmental and the economic. The policy document is an agreement between the regional level (GR) and the local level (the municipalities). In the agreement the local municipalities have committed themselves to develop their territory in accordance with the regional policy. The policy document states that the Gothenburg region shall establish attractive and efficient regional commuting rail services. This means that land use and infrastructure development that supports these goals need to be prioritized. In this manner the urban transit oriented development is pointed out to be of key importance to reach the main goal of the policy document. It will have an integrated role for locating new housing, infrastructure investment and densification of land use that will transform station communities into local hubs for sustainable commuting.

The Finnish ERDF program supports the competitiveness of SMEs and employment and promotes low-carbon economy. The objectives are still on quite general level and the measures towards carbon neutrality are not very specific. It is important to transform the objectives into concrete and operational policies, which should be developed for the short and long term and also by giving new and good practical examples. This can be done for example by piloting new approaches.

The Integrated Transport Development Operational Programme 2014-2020 (IKOP) consists of Hungarian transport development projects funded by the European Union. IKOP’s 3th priority addresses sustainable urban transport development, with a strong focus on the development of track-bound transport modes, intermodal services, passenger information, e-ticketing, promotion of cycling and on-demand services. PP7 can contribute to the success of this policy instrument through the implementation of Budapest Transport Development Strategy (BMT) Balázs Mór-plan, which is Budapest’s first SUMP-based strategic transport development plan. However, the lack of information about citizens’ needs, preferences, environmental and economic issues related to infrastructure projects is a core issue in Budapest. Therefore BKK will define innovative communication tools to collect large amount of data in order to provide valuable feedback for the improvement of this financial instrument. 

In 2014, within the metropolitan territory, an increase of motorization index, mortality rate for road accidents and CO2 emissions, were registered. The policy instrument aims at reducing traffic congestion on roads towards the capital, by allowing car/bus parking nearby commuter stations. Due to the insufficient network of P+R and underpasses, the project will focus on development of intermodal nodes between the hinterland and the Capital and of an integrated cycling network.

North 2020 is a financial instrument to support regional development, set on the current cycle of structural funds of the European Union. It is assumed as an important contribution to regional development strategy, based on a dual path of convergence with the European and national average. Its goal is to be able to produce goods and services that will recover the convergence trend at European level, ensuring a sustainability, yield increases and employment of the population. NORTH 2020 is organized into six thematic objectives. The goal, which is relevant for this project, is "Support the transition to low-carbon content in all sectors” with following objectives: - Promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy use in businesses;

- Support for energy efficiency, intelligent energy management and renewable energy used in public infrastructures, including in public buildings and in the housing sector;

- Promotion of low-carbon strategies for all types of territories, in particular urban areas, including the promotion of sustainable multimodal urban mobility and relevant adaptation measures.

The objectives of North2020 are important and central in transforming our society to a sustainable low-carbon economy. However, it is important to transform the objectives into concrete and operational policies and measures as well as to give new and good practical examples of how to move towards low-carbon society. This can be achieved by channeling knowledge and experience. 

Catalonia’s ERDF OP prioritises knowledge and innovation, entrepreneurship and green economy. Axis 4 promotes the transition towards a low-carbon economy, and one of its investment priorities is the promotion of carbon reduction strategies for all sectors. Axis 6 focuses on resource efficiency and the protection of the environment, and one of its priorities is improving the urban environment and revitalization of cities.

PP10 can contribute to the goals set in this policy instrument through the development of an Urban Mobility Metropolitan Plan (PMMU). This plan is aimed at managing mobility in the metropolitan area of Barcelona with an integrated approach, and putting particular emphasis on sustainability, efficiency, accessibility and safety.

The PMMU will address several aspects of mobility (public transport, private vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, nodes, parking, environmental sustainability, etc.), and it can become one of the key measures for achieving the goals for sustainable urban mobility and climate adaptation set in the Catalan ERDF OP for 2014-2020. Nevertheless, it is important to note that funding from ERDF is not granted for this, as calls are not open yet at this stage of preparation for this Interreg Europe project.

Through this cooperation, the policy tool can be improved thanks to the exchange of knowledge and experience from different European metropolises that face similar challenges when addressing their mobility plans.