The closing reception of the European Mobility Week (EMW) was held at the UMT headquarters. At the event, sustainable urban mobility and the development of urban mobility were touched upon.
President of Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) and Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Fatma Şahin, Deputy Chairman of the Presidency Local Government Policies Board Prof. Dr. Şükrü Karatepe, Head of the European Union Delegation to Türkiye Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı took part at the event and made the opening remarks.
Şahin: “We have to use our common home, our planet, by protecting it”
Thanking everyone who contributed to the European Mobility Week's progress to this stage, Şahin noted that the EMW continues in a more participatory and inclusive way, changing, growing and developing every year as a joint work carried out in the EU process. Drawing attention to the changes in the world after the pandemic, Şahin said, “The world is changing. Our President and all leaders are at the United Nations today. Where is the world going and what should we do? Each of us has duties and responsibilities. That's exactly what we're here for." Reminding that they started the Mobility Week long before the pandemic, Şahin also stated, “It is good that we started it. Fortunately, we managed those studies appropriately, and we saw that these issues became much more important after the pandemic. This issue is no longer a luxury and a fantasy, and it is a necessity. We have to protect our planet, which is our common home. If we don't do this today, there will be no world left to our grandchildren tomorrow."
Karatepe: “People embracing their cities are very important. We lost that"
Deputy Chairman of the Presidency Local Government Policies Board Prof. Dr. Şükrü Karatepe said in his speech that the EMW has become a tradition and he hoped the meeting would be an opportunity for everyone to embrace their city. Karatepe, “Responsible citizens, citizens with citizenship awareness, people embracing their city are very important. We lost that.” Karatepe pointed out the insensitivity of people to the environment and said, “We have responsibilities as human beings in order to be entitled to benefit from the services produced in the city. That's what "embracing the city" means."
Kaymakcı: “Türkiye is already a dynamic country. The important thing is that we keep the direction, balance and measure of this movement"
Kaymakcı emphasized mobility by participating in activities in different cities during the EMW, underlined that as the Directorate for EU Affairs, they attach great importance to working closely with local governments. The UMT plays a leading and important role in conveying the EMW and other issues concerning local governments to all Anatolian cities, Kaymakcı said, “A large part of the EU acquis concerns the local. As a European country and EU candidate country, we celebrate the European Mobility Week every year together with the UMT. We thank our union.” Kaymakcı continued his speech as follows “Türkiye is already an active country. The important thing is to keep the direction, balance and measure of this movement. The EU is bureaucratic, but the acquis it has created is a solid one. Common wisdom comes from 27 EU countries. Therefore, if we create a structure that balances our speed and the clumsiness of the EU, I think a much stronger and more beautiful Europe will emerge.”
Meyer-Landrut: “This should not be limited with municipalities, citizens should also participate in this movement”
Ambassador Meyer-Landrut started his speech by thanking the UMT for announcing and disseminating the EMW throughout Türkiye and said that the participation of municipalities is very valuable. Meyer-Landrut made the following statements in his speech “We all know very well the impact of climate change from floods to droughts, from forest fires to natural disasters. We have to do everything we can to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We are trying to increase the rate of public transport in the EU. Of course, while making these changes, we encourage our citizens to move more, walk and cycle more. We tell them, 'Let's change our habits, let's act differently'. Just like your municipalities, we are making an effort, but this should not be limited with municipalities, citizens should also participate in this movement.
Experts talked about sustainable urban mobility
Sustainable Urban Mobility Specialist Susanne Böhler-Baedeker made the thematic speech of the meeting. Then, Sustainable Mobility Specialist Mateo Gomez Jattin made his presentation titled “Improving Urban Mobility with Planning and Implementation Support in Cities”.