European Transport Conference 2025

ETC 2025 - Themes

PROVIDING MOBILITY AND ACCESS FOR 
CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

The climate emergency, rising attention to equity issues, changing global relations and a tight economic reality, present challenges for transport planners. An increasingly intense debate among the public, and within governments, calls for a reliable evidence base to keep the focus on good solutions for current and future generations.

It is the transport planner’s task to provide movement and access for people and goods to get to where they need to be, in a sustainable, inclusive, efficient, and affordable manner. Achieving and maintaining stakeholder support is essential.

The transport profession benefits from a diverse array of expertise from research, policy and practice to achieve our mission. Let’s come together in 2025 at the 53rd European Transport Conference to explore new developments, understand the challenges they pose, engage in inspiring discussions, and formulate policy, service and infrastructure interventions that help us move forward.

With that in mind, this year’s sessions will address relevant themes for the transport policy agenda throughout Europe and worldwide – from a research, policy or practice angle:

• Moving towards sustainable transport in a polarised world.
• Providing access and transport in times of financial challenges.
• Building adaptability and resilience into transport systems and decision making.
• Utilising technology, Artificial Intelligence and digital twins to improve transport systems and transport research.
• Dealing with labour, resource, infrastructure and energy challenges in freight and passenger transport.
• Creating healthy, efficient, safe and inclusive transport schemes for current and future generations.
• Shaping functional and comfortable cities providing necessary access for all ages and capabilities.
• Expanding the 21st century planners' toolkit with fit for purpose models and decision support systems.