How can Slovakia ensure that decarbonisation does not lead to social exclusion in mobility?

On March 31, 2026, CELSI researcher Patrik Gažo participated in Panel 1 of the public event “Transport 2026: The Future of the Transport Sector in Slovakia”, organised by euBrief.sk in Bratislava.

The discussion addressed one of the key questions of the mobility transition: how to maintain affordable, accessible and well-functioning transport systems in a context of rising costs, regulatory change and climate commitments.

The first panel featured Marek Engeľ (Institute for Environmental Policy, Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic), Rebeka Hengalová (EUROPEUM Institute), Dan Kollár (Cyklokoalícia), Patrik Gažo (CELSI), and Tomáš Chabada (Institute 2050). The discussion was moderated by Irena Jenčová, Senior Editor at euBrief.

🚍 In his intervention, Patrik Gažo highlighted the strong link between transport systems and labour markets. Commuting patterns, regional employment structures and access to public services are deeply interconnected. If poorly designed, decarbonisation measures risk disproportionately affecting workers in automotive regions and rural areas.

He also presented findings from the EcoMobility Transition project, supported by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). The project aims to support automotive regions in Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland in managing structural change in a fair and sustainable way.

By connecting transport policy, regional development and labour market transformation, EcoMobility Transition contributes to more inclusive strategies for managing change in Central Europe’s automotive regions.

🔗 Learn more about the EcoMobility Transition project: https://ecomobility-transition.celsi.sk/

The conference continued with a second panel discussion on inspiring transport projects by local governments, featuring Branislav Zacharides (Mayor of Vrútky and member of the European Committee of the Regions), Ján Forgáč (Deputy Mayor of Trenčín), Martina Repíková (Union of Towns and Cities of Slovakia), Jakub Kypus (Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava), and Martin Samek (Road Administration of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region). The discussion was moderated by Zuzana Gabrižová, Editor-in-Chief of euBrief.

🔗 A full summary of the event (in Slovak): https://eubrief.sme.sk/ekonomika-a-euro/c/doprava-2026-ako-slovensko-zvladne-zelenu-transformaciu

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