DISCO partners release a Joint Statement at the EPA Conference!

On 17 September 2025, POLIS, ALICE, and the European Parking Association (EPA) released a Joint Statement at the 21st EPA Conference in Brussels.

This declaration represents a significant milestone in the long-standing collaboration between the three organisations, who have worked together for several years to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities of urban freight, curbside management, and sustainable transport.

The signing took place following Session 2.1, ‘Reshaping Urban Space Part 2 – Parking Policy & Management in the Context of Urban Logistics and SULPs’. The panel featured Karen Vancluysen (Secretary-General, POLIS), Fernando Liesa (Secretary-General, ALICE), and Laurence A. Bannerman (President Emeritus of the EPA and Secretary-General of AIPARK), with moderation by Paola Cossu of FIT Consulting.

The partnership between POLIS, ALICE, and the EPA has grown through joint workshops, surveys, and research projects, particularly under the Horizon Europe Programme. Each organisation contributes distinct but complementary expertise:

• POLIS links European cities and regions, ensuring that local policies and mobility priorities remain central to the debate.
• EPA offers specialist knowledge of parking and curbside operations, crucial for freight access and effective urban space management.
• ALICE drives logistics and supply chain innovation, with a strong emphasis on efficiency, digitalisation, and decarbonisation.

Together, this collaboration creates a Europe-wide platform that brings public authorities, parking managers, logistics operators, and innovators into a shared dialogue on the future of urban mobility.

The Joint Statement sets out key priorities for the future of urban logistics and space management:

• Sustained collaboration – establishing a strategic platform to tackle urban challenges in a coordinated and structured way.
• Cross-sector engagement – encouraging cities, logistics providers, and parking managers to share experiences and co-design practical solutions.
• Integration of digital and physical systems – highlighting Urban Data Spaces and the Physical Internet as essential enablers to improve access to infrastructure and services, lower barriers, and unlock new opportunities.
• Linking sustainability with competitiveness – aligning the Green Deal with digitalisation to position urban logistics as a driver of European innovation and resilience.
• Mainstreaming Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans (SULPs) – promoting SULPs as a vital tool for balancing sustainability objectives with economic competitiveness.

The joint session at the EPA Conference 2025 not only showcased past collaboration but also signalled a step towards shaping future policy recommendations within the DISCO project framework. These recommendations, to be published in 2026, will provide guidance on integrated approaches to managing urban space and logistics.

Read the full Joint Statement HERE.