Chairperson of the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget Mr Predrag Sekulić and member of the Committee Mr Filip Vuković took part in a two-day study visit to Ljubljana, on the topic of sustainable urban mobility.

Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Energy Efficiency, implemented by the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ), organised a study visit for parliamentary representatives and staff of six Western Balkans countries in Ljubljana, with the aim of learning about good practice in the field of sustainable urban traffic, strategic planning and management of parking space.

During the study visit, the participants had meetings with representatives of the City of Ljubljana, the line ministry and relevant non-governmental organisations. They visited various field sites resulting from the implementation of sustainable mobility measures, namely: bus and bicycle stations; facilities and devices for parking control and management; a pedestrian zone formed by the closure of the city core, which is the main project in this area; and they also learned about the ways of improving public city transport and improving conditions for cyclists.

During the presentations, it was said that SUMP concept was introduced in Slovenia through various activities, including EU-funded projects, therefore in 2012, Ljubljana City Council adopted a SUMP based on experiences and knowledge gained during the CIVITAS ELAN project. It was pointed out that the process recognised the need for the existence of initial support by decision makers and broad understanding of the SUMP, and that a comprehensive approach based on appropriate regulations, method of financing, expert knowledge, cross-sectoral cooperation, continuous interaction with citizens was necessary, while respecting at the same time the specificities of cities and the needs of citizens.