26 April 2024 – Earlier this week, a joint final conference of the project ReMOBIL and project SmartMOVE took place. The event focused on the challenges of sustainable mobility at regional level in high traffic areas and on innovative solutions and a new governance model for sustainable mobility.
The final conference Innovative solutions and a new management model of sustainable mobility took place in Koper at the St Francis of Assisi Ceremonial and Entertainment Hall in the framework of the ReMOBIL and SmartMOVE projects, which are co-financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism. Other projects co-financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism were also presented at the event. These are Predjama Sustainable, SALOMON and Trata 2.1.
The event was opened by the Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Koper, Mateja Hrvatin Kozlovič, the Guest of Honour, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Trine Skymoen, the Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, dr. Aleksander Jevšek, the Director of the Soča Valley Development Centre, which is the project promotor of the ReMOBIL project, Simon Škvor, and the Director of the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, Lilijana Madjar.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Trine Skymoen, in her speech emphasised the importance of promoting sustainable mobility, which is also promoted by the five projects whose results are applicable to new areas.
The Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development, Dr. Aleksander Jevšek, underlined the importance of sustainable mobility for the future of Slovenia and Europe, stressing that “our common goal is to promote sustainable mobility as a way of life and to contribute as individuals and as a community to preserving the environment. Whether we want it or not, the Green Transition is a reality.”
The presentation of the ReMOBIL project followed, which has transferred an effective model of sustainable mobility management to Slovenia through good practices from abroad. The project organised an international summer school on sustainable mobility and provided training for experts in the field. Six Regional Mobility Centres (RMCs) were established, namely the Istra Brkini Kras RMC, the Severna Primorska RMC, the Ljubljana Urban Region RMC, the Gorenjska RMC, the Podravje RMC and the Koroška RMC.
The SmartMOVE project, promoted by the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, focused on sustainable mobility management in high-traffic locations in Ljubljana, mainly targeting employers. The project involved three large employers in Ljubljana, namely the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, BTC City Ljubljana and IKEA Slovenia. Mobility plans were prepared for these companies with the aim of assisting employees in commuting to work in a more sustainable manner.
Through a panel discussion, practical solutions to mobility challenges and mobility plans for institutions were presented by the SALOMON project, the Predjama Sustainable project and the Trata 2.1 project. The municipality of Postojna, through the Predjama Sustainable project, has developed sustainable transport solutions to connect Postojna or the Postojna Cave with the Predjama Castle. The General Hospital Novo mesto carried out a survey on the travel habits of their employees, patients, and visitors within the SALOMON project, and acquired a mobility plan, a GoNM bike rental system and charging stations for electric vehicles. The Trata 2.1 project was the first in Slovenia to address mobility in industrial zones. The project area was the industrial zone Trata in Škofja Loka.
Lastly, a panel discussion on the establishment of regional mobility centres was held, featuring stakeholders from the project partners, the Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Energy, local communities, and businesses.
The SmartMOVE project involves the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region as the project promoter and project partners Jožef Stefan Institute, Institute for Spatial Policies, Urban Institute of Ljubljana, Association of Employers of Slovenia, GoOpti Ltd, Centre for Energy Efficient Solutions and Nordland Research Institute from Norway.
The ReMOBIL project involves the Soča Valley Development Centre as project promoter and project partners Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, BSC, Business Support Centre, Ltd, Regional Development Centre Koper, Regional Development Agency for Podravje – Maribor, RDA Koroška, the Regional Development Agency for Koroška, AMZS, Urban Institute of Ljubljana and Norwegian partner Viken County Council.