On 17 September 2025, ALICE, POLIS, and the European Parking Association (EPA) presented a Joint Statement during the EPA Conference in Brussels. It marks a new milestone in their long-standing collaboration on urban freight, curbside management, and sustainable mobility.
Building on a shared journey
The three organisations have worked together for years through joint workshops, surveys, and Horizon Europe projects. The collaboration between POLIS, EPA, and ALICE is critical, as each network brings complementary expertise to addressing urban freight and curbside management challenges. POLIS connects cities and regions, ensuring solutions align with local needs and policies. EPA provides knowledge on parking and curbside operations, which are central to freight access and space allocation. ALICE drives innovation in logistics and supply chains, promoting efficiency and decarbonisation. Together, they co-create scalable, integrated approaches that reduce emissions, optimise curbside use, and make urban freight more sustainable and resilient.
Key messages of the Joint Statement
The Joint Statement highlights four priorities:
- Sustained collaboration – establishing a strategic platform for long-term engagement.
- Cross-sector engagement – encouraging cities, logistics providers, and parking managers to co-design solutions.
- Integration of digital and physical systems – with Urban Data Spaces and the Physical Internet as enablers for seamless access and innovation.
- Linking sustainability and competitiveness – aligning the Green Deal with digitalisation to strengthen Europe’s resilience and innovation capacity.
Looking ahead
The Brussels statement not only reflects achievements so far, but also sets the stage for concrete policy recommendations. Within the Horizon Europe DISCO project, the partners will deliver integrated guidance on urban space and logistics management in 2026.
For professionals in urban freight, this joint statement underscores the urgency of collective action. Challenges such as curbside access, space allocation, data sharing, and zero-emission delivery can only be solved by sustained, cross-sector cooperation. ALICE, POLIS, and EPA reaffirm their commitment to building the trust and frameworks needed to accelerate Europe’s green and digital transition in urban logistics.