SMARTA-NET is a European initiative of the European Commission under DG Move that aims to promote sustainable and resilient mobility solutions in rural areas. A consortium of five different countries is working on the project, besides NIT these are MemEx (Italy), E40 (Hungary), TIS (Portugal) and Panteia (Netherlands). Taking sustainable tourism into account, the aim is to establish links between European rural areas, remote areas and urban areas. The three main outcomes of SMARTA-NET are the following:
- The establishment of a European Rural Mobility Network (ERMN) to link European actors in the field of rural mobility. At the beginning, the ERMN will consist of over 70 rural municipalities from 15 EU countries, together with regional authorities, networks, associations, etc. In 2023 and 2024, there will be three ERMN events each year and a final conference. This will give ERMN members the opportunity to meet face-to-face, share experiences and discuss topics of common interest.
- The development of guidelines the following topics:
- Integration of tourist regions into sustainable mobility networks
- Integration of rural mobility aspects into SUMPs (Sustainable Urban Transport Plans)
- Funding opportunities for making rural mobility more sustainable
- In order to make the knowledge gathered within SMARTA-NET accessible to a wide range of stakeholders, the guides will be translated into the respective national language of the ERMN members and training on rural tourism mobility will be provided in the countries.
More information is available on the project website.
