European Commission welcomes Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety

This week government delegates from more than 80 countries are discussing how to step up ambition and improve global road safety in the next decade.

During the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth presented the Stockholm Declaration, stressing the need for continued, ambition in particular by working towards a new global fatality reduction target, as the current target expires this year.

The document will provide guidance up to 2030, focussing on international cooperation to improve road safety on a global level. This week’s high-level exchange is an opportunity to share successes and lessons learned, to accelerate action notably in those regions where fatality rates are still especially high.

The European Commission welcomes the Stockholm Declaration, which reinforces the EU’s own aspirations: the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 aims at halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries on European roads by 2030, as a milestone on the way to ‘Vision Zero’ – zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050.

In her opening remarks at the conference, Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “Road traffic crashes kill too many people, and what worries me the most is the fact that they are the biggest killer of young people worldwide. We can no longer accept the unacceptable. I consider it is our duty to find solutions to improve road safety and we must act now, at local, European and global level. If we want to show leadership, we first need to embrace change. We cannot continue doing the same things and expect different results. The EU has already committed to introduce road safety measures in order to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2030. This target is a stepping-stone for the EU to reach its ambitious goal of no deaths and serious injuries on European roads by 2050. I appeal to the rest of the world to join us in our ambition.”

Background

The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety takes place from 19 to 20 February 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden, under the heading ‘Achieving Global Goals 2030’, and is co-sponsored by the government of Sweden and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Road Safety is included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the target to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road crashes by 2020. The Stockholm Declaration provides guidance for the decade ahead and paves the way for further global political commitment to road safety.

For more information

Stockholm Declaration

EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030: Next steps towards ‘Vision Zero’

Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety