ITF Summit Leipzig
At the International Transport Forum Summit in Leipzig, Kees van der Burg, Director-General for Mobility, announced that the Netherlands has proudly handed over the presidency to Colombia after 3.5 years.
‘Yesterday the Netherlands has proudly passed the co-leadership baton to Colombia. A powerful signal of global momentum. We’re proud of how far we’ve come. Building a transport system that strengthens our economies and creates better lives for our citizens. Let’s keep going together, so that the whole world is taking notice!’
Thank you Chair, dear colleagues, ladies and gentleman,
All around the world we face the same complex challenge: how do we build sustainable, accessible mobility systems that support both people and the planet? In the Netherlands, this means tackling several major tasks at once:
- Creating sustainable regional mobility in growing urban areas
- Developing smart synergies between infrastructure, housing, and economic growth
- And keeping our accessibility and infrastructure funding future-proof
On top of that, we face a massive maintenance challenge. Much of our infrastructure was built after the second world war. Now, decades later, it urgently needs renovation or replacement. We know we cannot tackle this alone. That’s why we work closely together with the private sector, and increasingly with international financial institutions, to make sure every euro is spent wisely, and in ways that align with our sustainability goals.
The same logic applies to the decarbonisation of heavy-duty transport. A few years ago, this sector was labelled as hard-to-abate. And with good reason. Manufacturers, users, and governments were stuck in a waiting game. Margins were thin. Coordination was weak. And yet, something changed... Through the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero-Emission Trucks and Buses, we’ve brought together countries, companies, investors, and regions – from both the Global North and South – behind a clear, shared goal: 100% zero-emission new sales of trucks and buses by 2040.
We now have a growing global community with 40 signatory countries. Endorsements from Scania to BYD, from Milence to Maersk, from Nigerian to Indian and Australian states – all working to solve the same bottlenecks. We are breaking the chicken-and-egg question. By aligning ambitions, agreeing on a shared commitment, and creating market predictability, we’ve laid the groundwork for global scaling of zero-emission technologies. And with scale comes affordability: making clean alternatives more and more accessible. Alongside that, we’ve built a strong international community to tackle obstacles because no one can do this alone! This is where knowledge is actively shared on the biggest challenges: financing and infrastructure. Step by step, we're clearing the path forward.
The Drive to Zero-newsletter recently highlighted Southeast Asia and South America as rising stars. And just yesterday at this Summit, the Netherlands has proudly passed the co-leadership baton to Colombia. A powerful signal of global momentum. We’re proud of how far we’ve come. Building a transport system that strengthens our economies and creates better lives for our citizens. Let’s keep going together, so that the whole world is taking notice!
Thank you.