While at the European level environmental sustainability and passenger rights often come first in the discussions, Mrs. Meißner stressed the importance of not forgetting the impact of competitiveness and cost efficiency on the former ones. It is easy to demand more and equal rights for passengers or less vehicle emissions. However, one tends to forget how to effectively reconcile such demands with the necessities for European companies to compete in a global market.

It was in this context that an interested audience ranging from policy makers to representatives from the transportation industry debated issues such as smart solutions for inter-modular communication tools for vehicles, safety measures or cross-European traffic corridors to alleviate congestion, thereby also reducing emissions caused by traffic.