Sustainable urban mobility: four recommendations from the EU Court of Auditors to fill the gaps

"Urban mobility is primarily a local responsibility, and EU action must respect the principle of subsidiarity. The Commission does not dictate the content of urban mobility plans, but defines the framework and provides guidance as well as financial support. Since 2014, more than €35 Bn has been allocated from cohesion policy funds. More recently, €23Bn from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and additional support from the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) have been added. We noted that the EU's legal framework has been strengthened. Sustainable urban mobility plans are now mandatory for 431 urban areas across the EU, but gaps remain", says Carlo Alberto Manfredi Selvaggi, Member of the European Court of Auditors, and in charge of the European Court of Auditors' Special Report on "Sustainable commuter mobility around urban areas", published on 04/02/2026.

The Court audited EU support measures, sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) in six cities (Prague, Seville, Lille, Budapest, Katowice and Lisbon) and 21 EU-funded projects.

The main shortcomings identified in the current…