STA SMART TALKS WITH EMANUELA STOCCHI: A POLICY GUIDE FOR EU TAXONOMY
STA presents the fifth episode of the STA Smart Talks!
STA President & Host Dr José F. Papí invites Mrs Emanuela Stocchi (Director of International Affairs at the Italian Association of Motorway and Tunnel Concessionaires, AISCAT) for an insightful discussion exploring the policy context of the EU Taxonomy, a standardised classification system defining sustainable economic activities and how it will affect the investment and operation of existing and new road concessionaires.
Mrs. Stocchi presented the case of European highways, including the related authorities, operators, investors, owners and concessionaires. While she works at the Italian toll highways national associations, she also has a long-standing background working for ASECAP (the European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures), which grants her a wide and global perspective on the sector.
The new EU taxonomy contains specifically one criterion, which is of high importance to national organisations: the transparency criteria. This criterion defines exactly all activities, KPIs and procedures the authorities need to report on publicly and which ones may be kept confidential. Furthermore, it clarifies the possibility of delegating both the screening (for compliance) as well as the related methodology, which takes into account a set of KPIs for each highway:
Turnover;
Capital Expenditures (CAPEX);
Operating Expenses (OPEX).
Mrs Stocchi also highlighted an existing Position Paper from ASECAP, which highlights the most important shortcomings of the EU taxonomy (including a lack of legal certainties, exclusion of road furniture equipment from the taxonomy such as RRS or markings and the ongoing efforts to create more secure and safe working conditions and protection for maintenance staff and highway workers).
ASECAP also publishes a yearly Sustainability Report, which documents in detail the state of 5 macro-areas surrounding road concessionaires:
Infrastructure;
Economics;
Social Landscape;
Environmental Impacts;
Intellectual Property.
To close the podcast episode, Emanuela Stocchi called for more international cooperation across borders with organisations such as ASECAP and IBTTA (International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association).
Visit the dedicated section of the STA Innovation Awards and find the presentation The EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities: Policy Context, by Mrs Emanuela Stocchi at the 2023 STA Annual Conference & Innovation Awards Proceedings.
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Author: Eftychia Koliou (Smart Transportation Alliance)