Press highlights for Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport
"As European Commissioner for Transport, I've had the privilege of engaging in insightful interviews on a range of pressing topics, from navigating the challenges of COVID-19 to fostering transport connectivity in regions like Ukraine and Moldova and exploring the future of various transportation modes."
On COVID-19
EU releases new guidelines for flying that include face masks and hand hygiene (CNN, 20 May 2020)
WHO reports largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases
"Passengers have to have confidence that taking to the skies again in a confined space with other people poses the minimum possible risk to their health," European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said in the statement. "The protocol released today will reassure passengers that it is safe for them to fly and so help the industry recover from the effects of this pandemic."
Adina Vălean on the Green Lanes (La Tribune, 30 October 2020)
Tests Covid pour les voyages : ce que veut faire Bruxelles
"Notre principal instrument pour garantir la circulation des marchandises, ce sont les voies réservées, appelées en anglais « green lanes », que nous avons mises en place au cours de la première vague, en mars."
On social distancing (France 24, 1 June 2020)
EU Transport Commissioner: 'Social distancing is recommended but not compulsory in airplanes'
Vălean spoke to FRANCE 24 about the EU Commission's guidelines for travel during the Covid-19 pandemic this summer, the risk of some airlines going bankrupt and the rights of passengers whose trips have been cancelled. "Social distancing is recommended but not compulsory in airplanes", Adina Vălean.
Adina Vălean on the Green Lane initiative (CorD Magazine, 1 April 2021)
Adina Vălean, European Commissioner For Transport: Working Together Can Yield Fantastic Results
"The Green Lanes are a great example that when we work together, with a common goal and determination, fantastic results can be achieved." (…) "Looking ahead to a life beyond COVID-19, the region must focus on sustainable solutions that will also help with the recovery from the pandemic. We aim to link the EU’s Green Lanes initiative to the Western Balkans at certain border crossing points between the EU and the region. Given that the EU is the Western Balkans’ most important trade and investment partner, we feel that the joining of the two initiatives is key and will benefit both parties. We hope that the Green Lanes will stay green long after the pandemic is over."
Adina Vălean on transport challenges during COVID (Euractiv (video), 5 November 2020)
How to Save Christmas – Over A Coffee… with Adina Vălean
At the centre of the Commission’s fight to shape a more sustainable transport ecosystem, Vălean points to data, and the capacity of digitalisation to increase sectoral resilience and reduce carbon emissions. Acknowledging that trust remains an issue, she said that there is growing awareness of the capacity for data and AI to decrease the transport sector’s environmental footprint and its costs, and key to that is avoiding fragmentation.
Adina Vălean on Coronavirus (Politico, 2 December 2020)
Testing and quarantining air travelers not ‘effective,’ new EU guidelines warn
"The traveler, it's not an infected person," Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said at the POLITICO’s Sustainable Future Summit. "We have absolutely no scientific proof that traveling as such was bringing an increase of the [infection] numbers."
Travelers should be treated as any other resident at their destination and observe local rules, she said, rather than facing quarantines with "absolutely no indication of symptoms ... or with no contact."
Adina Vălean on trucks stopped at UK-France border (FAZ, 24 December 2020)
Trucks off the English Channel: Traffic jams on Christmas Eve
EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean blamed France for the lorry chaos in south-east England. "I condemn the fact that France has gone against our recommendations and put us back in the situation we were in March when supply chains were disrupted," Vălean tweeted.
Adina Vălean, Covid19 (La Tribune, 9 July 2021)
Bruxelles planche sur "un fonds européen de garantie pour le remboursement des billets d'avion"
Les passeports sanitaires seront-ils suffisants pour permettre aux passagers de voyager à nouveau facilement ?
"Je l'espère. C'est pour cela que la Commission a proposé aux États membres une approche commune, celle d'avoir les mêmes certificats Covid, afin que la reprise du trafic soit aussi homogène que possible. J'espère que le pass sanitaire aidera nos citoyens à voyager sans le poids des quarantaines et des tests systématiques. Mais cela dépendra aussi de la situation sanitaire le moment venu, et des décisions des dirigeants de chaque pays. Au niveau européen, nous nous basons sur des données scientifiques pour déterminer les zones oranges ou rouges, et espérons que cet été, à partir du 1er juillet, le pass sanitaire sera mis en place par tous les États membres. La question demeure sur le système de vérification de ces certificats. Nous travaillons avec l'industrie afin de déterminer le meilleur moyen de mise en œuvre, qui soit homogène et efficace."
On Ukraine and Moldova
Adina Vălean on Ukraine grains (The Independent, 12 May 2022)
EU plan aims to help get wheat from Ukraine to the world
"Twenty million tons of grains have to leave Ukraine in less than three months using the EU infrastructure," said Adina Vălean, EU commissioner for transport. "This is a gigantesque challenge, so it is essential to coordinate and optimize the logistic chains, put in place new routes, and avoid, as much as possible, the bottlenecks."
Adina Vălean on the Solidarity Lanes action plan (radio interview, transcribed by NPR), NPR, 31 May 2023)
Deal that allows Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea has been extended
"It's a double benefit. Without these cross-border links, Ukraine won't be able to import. They won't be able to get humanitarian help or other products needed in their economy. Of course, European Union is the first provider for all these goods Ukraine needs, but it's also the other way around. Let's not forget that a part of this market exchange, these corridors of transportation, are also a transit trader from Ukraine, farmers - they need to send their products to the global market. So, without this transit, Black Sea Initiative won't be enough. Sixty percent of the total of the grains Ukraine exported were through the Solidarity Lanes, not Black Sea Initiative, in the last year. "
Adina Vălean on accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova (actmedia.com, 9 November 2023)
"Romania is practically at the moment, especially for the export of grains, sunflower seeds, agricultural products, the most important corridor for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, in the sense that, of course, the Republic of Moldova plays an important role in these corridors of solidarity, there are many routes that pass through the Republic," said Adina Vălean.
Adina Vălean on Farmers fears and the UA grains (Reuters, 1 March 2024)
EU to step up checks to ease farmers' fears about Ukrainian grain flows
"Closing borders is never a good idea, even less borders with a neighbour in such need of connectivity," European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday.
"As long as the agreements are implemented correctly, there shouldn't be problems, and we are working on strengthening implementation," she added.
"In other words, we must check to ensure operators are not overstepping agreements, that they can only do bilateral operations, that ... they have the right to transit."
Adina Vălean says truck blockade at Polish-Ukrainian border 'unacceptable' (Reuters, 29 November 2023)
EU transport commissioner says truck blockade at Polish-Ukrainian border 'unacceptable'
"There is no good faith in finding a solution... and there is nearly a complete lack of involvement from Polish authorities... who are supposed to enforce the law at that border," Vălean said.
"While I support the people's right to protest, the entire EU, not to mention Ukraine, a country currently at war, cannot be taken hostage by blocking our external borders."
EU Commission proposes changes to transport deal with Ukraine based on 'lessons learned' (Kyiv Independent, 5 March 2024)
EU Commission proposes changes to transport deal with Ukraine based on 'lessons learned'
"The temporary transport agreements with Ukraine and Moldova have helped the two countries' exports and imports moving after they lost essential transport routes due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said.
"At the same time, they may affect differently road transport operators across the Union. This is why, with today's proposal on the agreement with Ukraine, we have also looked at how we can improve the agreement further by making its implementation and enforcement easier and introducing a safeguard clause in case of negative impacts on regional markets in the EU."
Adina Vălean on the Polish border (Le Figaro, 3 December 2023)
Frontière polonaise bloquée: accord pour faire passer des camions vides venant d'Ukraine
La commissaire européenne aux Transports, Adina Vălean, avait dénoncé fin novembre le «manque d'implication» des autorités polonaises pour trouver une solution au blocage. "Si je soutiens le droit des gens à manifester, l'ensemble de l'UE, sans parler de l'Ukraine, un pays actuellement en guerre, ne peut être pris en otage par le blocage de nos frontières extérieures", avait-elle dit.
Adina Vălean on Solidarity Lanes (Atlantic Council, Fireside chat, 22 May 2023, video)
A fireside chat with European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean
Commissioner Vălean discusses the future of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes established to support the people of Ukraine and the role of the transatlantic relationship in developing sustainable and resilient transportation architecture.
Adina Vălean on EU-Ukraine agreement (Radio Liberty, 4 December 2023)
The European Commission is in favor of maintaining a "transport visa-free regime" with Ukraine
"This ping-pong between Ukraine and the European Commission is unfair. Meanwhile, people are suffering at the border, and our external borders of the European Union are becoming hostages. Therefore, the idea of returning the permits is unacceptable, since it is for this purpose that we have renounced the permits. It was not viable to allow transactions under different numbers and different numbers of permits in the EU," the high-ranking official stressed.
Vălean also noted that she is determined to defend the Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, which has been extended until June 2024, despite the demands of Polish protesters.
Adina Vălean on high level dialogue on transports with Moldova (Moldpres, 6 February 2024)
"Today, EU opens a high-level dialogue in the transports sector with Moldova. This is a new chapter in the European Union’s cooperation with Moldova and it is an important one for Moldova’s European integration way, as well as for the Union’s connectivity, in general, in the Eastern part. I feel honoured that we have reached this stage in which we can bring Moldova closer to Romania and the European Union through the transport infrastructure," European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said.
Adina Vălean on infrastructure in Moldova (Radio Moldova, 11 May 2023)
"There are many possible projects related to interconnections. First of all, the improvement of the railway, because, for example, one of the priorities of the European Union is also related to sustainability. The north-south railway must be repaired, investments must be made in the Giurgiulesti port, all bridges or connecting lines to Romania are in themselves projects that could be suitable for the European interconnection mechanism. Not only that, but also smaller projects inside a city, which means urban mobility", said the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean.
Adina Vălean on sustainable transport projects (Business Travel News Projects, 23 September 2023)
EU opens bidding on €7bn in sustainable transport funding
European transport commissioner Adina Vălean said: "We are making available over €7 billion for projects that will support a smart and sustainable transport system, with a strong focus on cross-border projects between member states."
"These challenging times have also reinforced the importance of having a strong transport network of railways, inland waterways and maritime routes which will increase our industry's competitiveness, bring citizens closer together, and anchor Ukraine and Moldova firmly into the EU."
Adina Vălean on sanctions against Russia (TradeWinds, 6 June 2022)
‘Sanctions hurt Russia’: Europe’s transport head rejects Greek owners’ criticism
"The purpose of sanctions is not doing business as usual. We are in a special situation where we have to act united and try to create economic damage to the aggressor"
EU blacklists 21 Russian airlines over ‘serious safety concerns’ (CNN, 11 April 2022)
EU blacklists 21 Russian airlines over ‘serious safety concerns’
"I want to make it crystal-clear that this decision is not another sanction against Russia; it has been taken solely on the basis of technical and safety grounds," she said.
"We do not mix safety with politics," Vălean stressed.
Modes of transportation
Adina Vălean on the European Green Deal (DW, 2 June 2020)
Will trains play a key role in the European Green Deal?
"Through the Green Deal, we have committed to make the transport sector in Europe to contribute to our effort to tackle climate change. All the modes have to contribute, but I think that rail in particular is a game changer, since it is a truly sustainable way of moving people and freight," Adina-Ioana Vălean, European commissioner for transport, told DW.
Adina Vălean on green mobility and safety (CESI, 21 December 2021)
Interview with Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport
"It should go without saying that, while we must embark on a significant reduction of emissions from transport and harness digital opportunities for the sector, safety and security will continue to come first. Our strategy will incorporate measures for maintaining the highest safety and security standards in the world of transport."
Adina Vălean on soaring airline prices (FT, 5 November 2023)
EU pressures airlines over soaring fares
"We cannot go as a regulator into micromanagement of prices or imposing that, I don’t think this is doable or desirable," Vălean said. "On the other hand, what I as a regulator worry [about] is that a price [could] become a barrier for connectivity. "We are in a permanent conversation with the industry... to understand what the cause of this development is."
Adina Vălean defends plug-in hybrids while infrastructure to support transition to electric is built (FT, 24 November 2020)
EU transport chief issues clean energy warning
Ms. Vălean, however, said she "wouldn’t hurry to exclude [hybrid cars]", and added that the technology was "very welcome" while the necessary infrastructure to support large-scale clean transport was being built.
Adina Vălean on the future of rail (quoted by Railway-News.com from opening speech at InnoTrans Conference - Railway-News, 20 September 2022)
Adina Vălean: The Commission Cannot Create a Second Golden Age for Rail All by Itself
"As I look around, I see more than promising technologies and progress, but I know these improvements will not automatically find their way into trains for that to happen. We need partnership and we need ambition. So let me ask again, Member States, are you ready to adopt ambitious market and technical legislation and bring more competition to rail?" (…)
"The Commission cannot create a second golden age for rail all by itself, but we are your partners. And I dare say that I personally am your friend."
Interview: raising oil prices impact on airlines (Bloomberg, 1 April 2022)
Watch Higher Oil Prices Dampen Travel Demand
Higher oil prices are putting travel plans on halt across the world. European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean joined Kailey Leinz and Guy Johnson on "Bloomberg Markets: European Close" to discuss the health of the travel industry in Europe.
Adina Vălean on rail and the European Year of Rail (Euractiv, 15 April 2020)
Planes vs trains: High-speed rail set for coronavirus dividend
"There’s no doubt that railway transport means huge benefits in most areas: sustainability, safety, even speed, once it’s organised and engineered according to 21st-century principles," said EU transport Commissioner Adina Vălean at the launch of the initiative.
Adina Vălean on ReFuelEU Aviation (Forbes, 26 April 2023)
‘A Turning Point’: The European Union Agrees To Decarbonize Air Travel
"Shifting to sustainable aviation fuels will improve our energy security, while reducing reliance on fossil fuel imports," said Vălean. "These kinds of measures help make Europe a front-runner in the production of innovative clean fuels, globally. We estimate that the SAF market will create more than 200,000 additional jobs in the EU, mainly in the renewables sector."
Adina Vălean on private jets’ carbon impact (FlightGlobal, 6 June 2023)
Commissioner rejects specific EU measures to curb private jets’ carbon impact
"We shouldn’t just think about incentives but provide clear rules to limit these emissions," the commissioner said. "Often because of the small size of companies using private jets, they fall under the radar of EU regulations."
Adina Vălean on legal age for driving (La Vanguardia, 1 March 2023)
Bruselas propone que los jóvenes de 17 años puedan conducir si van acompañados de adultos
Para que las infracciones no queden sin ninguna multa, se facilitará una mayor cooperación entre países, con una base de datos en que todos los Veintisiete tengan acceso. "Da la impresión que algunos conductores pueden pensar que si un está en el extranjero, no le van a pillar cometiendo una infracción, con la nueva medida, queremos que no sea tan fácil, el conductor será identificado y podrá responder por su delito", ha explicado la Comisaria de Transportes, Adina Vălean.
On driving licences (The Journal, Ireland, 1 March 2023)
Physical driving licence could become 'history' as EU proposes digital option
The EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean this morning outlined the advantages of a digital driving licence but stressed that drivers would still have the option of a physical version.
"One of the directives adopted today will make the small piece of plastic history. In the not so distant future, your driver’s licence will be on your phone or any other digital device, although you will be able to request a physical version if you prefer," she said.
"Especially for the younger generations, the digital licence is a question of personal convenience. The directive will also simplify and lighten the administrative burden involved in processing a physical licence."
Adina Vălean on Drones (Le Monde, 30 November 2022)
"Avec l’arrivée d’une nouvelle génération d’aéronefs à propulsion électrique capables de fonctionner dans un environnement urbain et régional, nous devons veiller, outre au maintien de la sécurité des opérations dans notre espace aérien, à ce que les conditions répondent à la fois aux besoins commerciaux des exploitants et aux attentes des citoyens en matière de respect de la vie privée et de sécurité", précise la commissaire roumaine.
Adina Vălean on trains (Le Figaro, 23 February 2022)
Réchauffement climatique : le monde du ferroviaire réclame «un effort important» pour le rail
"Notre infrastructure ferroviaire est l'une des infrastructures les meilleures du monde mais elle souffre encore d'investissements insuffisants", a reconnu la commissaire européenne aux Transports Adina Vălean. Elle a rappelé que Bruxelles avait notamment pour objectif de "dynamiser les services voyageurs longue distance transfrontaliers", pour créer "un véritable réseau ferroviaire européen", "performant", "interopérable" et "numérisé", d'ici 2040, avec des trains de voyageurs roulant à au moins 160 km/h entre les principales villes, et aussi un effort sur le fret. "Quelque 80 milliards d'euros de fonds de l'Union européenne pourraient soutenir les investissements ferroviaires entre 2021 et 2027", a ajouté la commissaire.
Adina Vălean on electric vehicles (Financial Times, 30 December 2021)
Electric vehicles: the carmakers wary of going ‘all in’ on batteries
"We don’t want to create a race in which the transport modes cannibalise each other in the fight for the same future," EU transport commissioner Adina-Ioana Vălean told the FT’s Global Boardroom summit earlier this month. "So, for example, I would prefer to see the use of biomethane [go] towards maritime [transport], which does not have other solutions, [rather] than to waste it on the road where we have the solution for the moment."
Adina Vălean on trains vs planes (Financial Times, 7 March 2024)
Can Europe’s trains compete with low-cost airlines?
Brussels is also hesitant about forcing costly decarbonisation rules on industry amid concerns for the bloc’s competitiveness. EU transport commissioner Adina Vălean says she is "not of the opinion that we should tell people not to fly... We are not in the business of limiting connectivity."
Adina Vălean on Just Transition and transport (Energy Journal, 21 December 2021)
Interview with Adina Vălean European commissioner for transport
"I am 100% committed to leaving no one behind as we embark on this green and digital transformation. The Just Transition Mechanism will be key here: it will mobilize 100 billion euros to address the social and economic effects of the green transition, focusing on the region’s industries and workers who will face the greatest challenges. The connectivity provided by transport is fundamental to freedom of movement in the European Union. It should go without saying that, while we must embark on a significant reduction of emissions from transport and harness digital opportunities for the sector, safety and security will continue to come first. Our strategy will incorporate measures for maintaining the highest safety and security standards in the world of transport.", Adina Vălean.
Adina Vălean on Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (CNBC, 10 December 2020)
Hydrogen planes, hyperloop: EU outlines vision for transport
"Through the implementation of this strategy, we will create a more efficient and resilient transport system, which is on a firm pathway to reduce emissions in line with our European Green Deal goals," says Adina Vălean, the commissioner for transport.
Adina Vălean on trains (Wired Magazine, 9 July 2020)
Inside the messy mission to make train travel as easy as flying
"Transport needs to cut its emissions by 90 per cent if you want to be climate neutral by 2050," says European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean. In March, the Commission proposed to make 2021 "the European Year of Rail".
Vălean highlights two key issues with the current European rail ecosystem. The first is infrastructure: tracks need modernising, and there are still links missing between countries, especially in Eastern Europe. A new, standardised signalling system known as ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) is also being implemented across Europe, to increase interoperability across borders.
The second challenge is making the rail system more rider-friendly when it comes to booking. For passengers, international rail travel can still feel very fragmented, even within Europe. If you’re planning a train journey that crosses country borders and has several changes, you may well find yourself attempting to book multiple tickets in multiple languages and currencies. "This is because each country still keeps its own silo, its own system – the train operators are not willing to share data," Vălean explains.