Long term investment and reindustrialisation Intergroup event on Urban rail financing

On 12 October, UNIFE coorganised a joint European Parliament’s LongTerm Investment and Reindustrialisation Intergroup and Urban Intergroup lunch debate on “Financing Sustainable Cities: Ensuring long term investment for urban transport (tram, light rail, and metro systems)”. Organised together with EUROCITIES, the event aimed to examine ways to boost investments in urban rail projects across Europe. Hosted by the Chair of the Long-Term Investment Intergroup MEP Dominique Riquet and moderated by MEP Andrey Novakov, the event brought together high-level officials from the European Institutions, financial institutions, cities, and rail stakeholders.

As emphasized by Philippe Citroën in his speech, the event took place at a crucial time when the European Institutions are preparing for the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). He stressed that adequate grants funding at both EU and national levels should be ensured for urban rail projects, while other innovative sources of financing should also be explored.  The event was an excellent occasion to convey the key messages of the Rail Sector Joint Position Paper on the next MFF.
Mark – R. Sontag, Executive Director Mobility Finance at Siemens Financial Services shared Siemens’ expertise in structured finance and PPPs, and provided insightful policy recommendations.