(1)

Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights (1) establishes that everyone has the right to access essential services, including transport, and that support for access to such services should be available for those in need. Transport also allows access to other activities that are key for active participation in society and the labour market, such as employment, healthcare, and education. In this context, transport poverty is increasingly a concern, in particular for vulnerable groups, as it jeopardises access to these services and thereby contributes to social exclusion.

(2)

The Competitiveness Compass (2) outlines that adequate transport infrastructure is a precondition for EU competitiveness, supporting notably logistics, in-time-production and mobility of people, goods and services. Research also shows that transport plays a vital role in promoting economic development, wellbeing and social fairness by supporting access to quality jobs, including for people at risk of poverty and social exclusion and certain vulnerable groups of society (3). It can contribute to enhancing intergenerational fairness and solidarity.

(3)

The Social Climate Fund (SCF) was established to address and mitigate the potential negative distributional impacts of extending the coverage of EU carbon markets to buildings and road transport with a new emissions trading system (ETS2) in accordance with Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4). The SCF is expected to mobilise EUR 86,7 billion between 2026 and 2032 to support vulnerable households, transport users and micro-enterprises particularly affected by energy and transport poverty. To access this funding, Member States must submit their national social climate plans by 30 June 2025 and achieve the relevant milestones and targets in a satisfactory manner. This Recommendation intends to support Member States in their work.

(4)

Member States may use the SCF to support structural measures and investments to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise buildings, and promote clean mobility solutions, provided these initiatives principally target vulnerable households, micro-enterprises, or transport users. Eligible transport-related measures and investments include incentivising the use of affordable and accessible public transport, supporting private and public entities, including cooperatives, in developing and providing sustainable mobility on demand, shared mobility services and active mobility options, facilitating access to zero-emission vehicles and bicycles, developing infrastructure for recharging and refuelling, and supporting the development of a second hand zero-emission vehicles market.

(5)

Article 2(2) of the SCF Regulation (5) introduced the first and only Union-wide definition of transport poverty for the purposes of the Regulation. It refers to ‘individuals’ and households’ inability or difficulty to meet the costs of private or public transport, or their lack of or limited access to transport needed for their access to essential socioeconomic services and activities, taking into account the national and spatial context’.

(6)

With respect to the definition of transport poverty as included in the Social Climate Fund Regulation, one can identify the following three dimensions:

A fourth dimension, ‘adequacy of the transport system’, is useful to describe the usability of the system, even if it is not part of the official definition. ‘Adequacy’ includes various additional elements such as the reliability, suitability for people who use it for work and/or care duties (such as travelling to and from workplaces and transporting children), safety and security of the transport system and its availability outside core transport hours, whether it is barrier-free and whether information about travel possibilities is widely available (6).

(7)

The causes of transport poverty stem from low income and other systemic barriers, such as lack of access to affordable housing in the proximity of the workplace, educational facilities and essential services, geographic isolation, absence or limited availability of public or private transport or specific socioeconomic, demographic and physical characteristics that limit individuals’ ability to benefit from adequate transport services.

(8)

According to a Commission study, total transport expenditure is highest in areas with a medium population density, possibly due to a larger share of commuting and more trips from these areas to cities (e.g. for work or shopping) (7). As outlined in the EU Strategy for the Outermost Regions (8), transport plays a crucial role for the outermost regions, the most remote parts of the EU. Islands and outermost regions are usually particularly affected by transport poverty, including regarding residents’ access to essential socioeconomic services, high dependence on air and maritime transport and lower substitutability of transport modes (9).

(9)

Data from Eurostat (10) show that the share of people who cannot afford a car and are at risk of poverty (below 60 % of the median equivalised income) ranged from around 6 % (5,5 % in Italy, 6 % in Cyprus and 6,2 % in Malta) to more than 30 % (34,3 % in Finland, 34 % in Romania and 32,4 % in Slovakia and Hungary) in 2023. The situation varies considerably depending on the household type. In 12 Member States, more than 30 % of people with dependent children and low income could not afford a car (44,4 % in Slovakia, 43,4 % in Hungary) in 2023.

(10)

More broadly, low-income and lower middle-income individuals or households who can afford public or private transport can be considered ‘at risk of transport poverty’ if transport represents a significant share of their private budget (for example more than twice the median of the country’s population).

(11)

Preventing and mitigating transport poverty is one of the priorities of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). TEN-T infrastructure must ensure seamless mobility and accessibility for all users, particularly those in situations of transport poverty or vulnerability.

(12)

The Commission’s long-term vision for Europe’s rural areas (11) calls on Member States and regions to develop sustainable rural mobility strategies, with the overall objective of creating ‘stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040’. This vision requires efforts to maintain and improve affordable public transport services, and infrastructure, such as railways, inland waterways, roads, charging and refuelling stations, to support zero-emission mobility solutions, cycling paths, multimodal connections including active transport, and short-sea shipping and air transport links.

(13)

As stated in the Commission’s Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector (12), social leasing schemes (13) can help provide affordable and clean mobility solutions for vulnerable transport users and could be financed with the funds which the Social Climate Fund will mobilise between 2026 and 2032. In addition, shared autonomous vehicles, autonomous shuttles and remotely operated vehicles may contribute to resolving first/last mile challenges for underserved communities (14).

(14)

The Commission has facilitated the exchange of good practices among Member States on cost-effective measures and investments to be included in the social climate plans (15), and on conducting public consultations (16). It has published guidance documents related to implementing the SCF (17), as well as a set of recommendations with good practices for the SCF as formulated by the Subgroup on Public Transport and Shared Mobility of the Expert Group on Urban Mobility (18).

(15)

Collecting data on policy-relevant indicators is crucial for defining policy priorities, identifying main beneficiaries and monitoring progress toward the policy targets. Several indicators developed by Eurostat can support this process and allow results to be compared across the EU, building on existing scoreboards and monitoring frameworks, such as the Social Scoreboard (19), as well as other evidence shared in the regular progress reviews of the implementation of the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition for all (20).

(16)

The European Fair Transition Observatory, which will be launched in 2026, follows up on the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality (21) and aims to strengthen the evidence base on fairness aspects of the green transition. The Observatory will develop and collate relevant data, develop standardised indicators, collect best practices and facilitate data sharing on relevant trends and policies, including transport poverty and vulnerable groups.

(17)

Given its interconnections with various policy areas, transport poverty cannot be tackled in isolation. Adopting a cross-sectoral approach is crucial when developing measures that address vulnerable groups, for example by linking social housing developments with the provision of adequate, affordable and sustainable transport infrastructure.