Innovations will make Europe’s traffic safer - Ministers of Transport meet in Verona

Innovations and intelligent technologies offer promising ways of improving road safety across Europe. European ministers have chosen this as the theme for their meeting in Verona, Italy, on 3-4 November.

Finland, as the country now holding the Presidency of the EU, has been responsible for the Conference agenda. Susanna Huovinen, Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland, emphasises the importance of broad approach to innovations:

"New intelligent technologies are very important for improving road safety. And it is equally important that we look for innovations from the points of view of traffic behaviour and traffic systems. In a competition designed to improve children's road safety, numerous cities and regions presented excellent ideas about how to ensure safe environments for child mobility, and how to provide traffic education for children. It will be a pleasure to be able to announce the best proposals in Verona", Ms Huovinen says.

The purpose of the Verona Conference of transport ministers, now arranged for the fourth time, is to support road safety work in the EU and find new ways of solving the problems involved.

This year's Conference will focus on innovative solutions in road safety. Other themes on the ministers' agenda will be children's safe mobility, safety of motorcycles and road safety strategies.

The Conference will be attended by representatives from the EU Member States, and from other European countries, the United States, Russia and India. The Conference is jointly arranged by Finland, Italy and the European Commission.


Best project proposals awarded

In the Verona Conference, Ms Huovinen and Mr Alessandro Bianchi, Minister of Transport of Italy, will present awards for the best proposals in the competition for improving child road safety.

The competition was held in all EU countries this summer. Cities, towns and regions could enter their proposals for launching pilot schemes to improve child road safety within the European Union. The entries focused on promoting the safe mobility of children in their own environments, and on providing education and training about dangers in traffic.



For further information please contact:
Mr Matti Roine, Director of Traffic Safety Unit, tel. +358 9 160 28568, +358 40 823 2109
Ms Eeva-Liisa Haapaniemi, tel. +358 9 160 28730, +358 40 512 0330