The role of EU-supported projects in policy transfer in urban transport

This thesis analyses certain interventions of the European Union (EU) in the field of urban transport. It assesses if and how policy ideas, concepts and information are transferred through EU-supported projects in the field of urban transport. This possible transfer takes place in a context of multi-level governance and Europeanisation. The study covers a ten-year period which starts around 1995. The thesis begins with a historical overview of EU transport policy and its urban component. The possible application of concepts from the political science discipline is assessed in the empirical part. This assessment is based on information from interviews with thirty key-informants and case studies covering mobility management and urban road user charging. Examples have been identified where policy transfer has influenced policies, initiatives and decisions at local, regional and national level. The study results suggest that the policy transfer concept can be applied to EU-supported projects in the field of urban transport. Networked individuals are the basis from which project networks are established. Project networks provide a structure for policy transfer to happen. Policy transfer is more driven by the individuals involved in projects and less by their organisations. The results provide indications on how the conditions for policy transfer can be optimised, if there is a wish to do so. A precondition for successful policy transfer is the existence of trust between the persons involved in the transfer. The results provide evidence of an increasing activity of the EU in the field of urban transport. With EU-supported projects acting as a vehicle for the exchange and promotion of best practice, the EU has become an actor in urban transport policy. The projects have contributed to the Europeanisation of urban transport policies across the EU. This, in turn, leads to an increasing Europeanisation of urban transport systems