Introduction
Purpose of the Manifesto
The manifesto “Non-Ideological Ecological Transition: Innovation and Technological Neutrality” arises from the need to provide a shared and authoritative guide for the ecological transition of the transport and energy sector. It is a point of reference for stakeholders, institutions and citizens who recognise the transition as a strategic priority and, at the same time, a challenge that demands realism, expertise and openness to all available technological solutions.
Why the manifesto
The manifesto responds to four fundamental needs.
Promote a concrete and sustainable transition. Decarbonising the transport and energy sector is a necessity. We want to demonstrate that an effective transition path is not only possible but already feasible, provided it is guided by a pragmatic approach, by solid scientific evidence and by the full valorisation of industrial innovation.
Counter the ideologisation of the debate. Too often the discussion on the ecological transition is dominated by ideological simplifications, preconceived beliefs or lobbying pressures. These dynamics steer policy choices in directions devoid of technical foundation. The manifesto reaffirms the method: decisions must be based on verifiable data, industrial experience and real market dynamics.
Affirm technological neutrality. The principle of technological neutrality is the cornerstone of the document. It means recognising the strategic function of all technologies capable of contributing to decarbonisation goals, without a-priori preferences and without unjustified exclusions. Biofuels, biomethane, bio-LNG, e-fuels, hydrogen and electrification each find their own space, calibrated to specific transport missions and market conditions.
Build a common front for action. The manifesto aims to unify the voice of the European transport and energy sector, overcoming the fragmentation that today weakens its collective influence on European and national policy. A shared platform is the precondition for making the sector an authoritative interlocutor of the European institutions.
The issues the manifesto addresses
The manifesto confronts structural shortcomings that today hinder effective progress towards decarbonisation.
Incoherence of the regulatory framework. The current European regulatory framework shows deep inconsistencies between its stated principles — particularly that of technological neutrality — and their substantial non-application in the implementing regulations. This incoherence generates industrial uncertainty, undermines investment and jeopardises the very environmental goals the legislation claims to pursue.
Lack of coordination among actors. The transition process requires structured collaboration between European and national institutions, industry, research centres and civil-society organisations. Today this coordination is lacking and fragmentary. Stakeholders engage with the institutions in an uncoordinated way, and the institutions in turn consult them in unstructured forms.
Underestimation of mature technologies. Technologies that are already available and industrially mature, such as biomethane and its circular supply chains, are today under-represented in European policy. In particular, the biomethane supply chain in its various origins — from the management of urban organic waste (FORSU) to the valorisation of agricultural and livestock by-products — represents a strategic resource for Italy and Europe, both for the circular intensity of its production process and for its immediate availability.
Risks to industrial and social resilience. An ungoverned acceleration of the transition, without due regard for real industrial capacity and employment implications, jeopardises the competitiveness of the European sector and fuels social tensions. A sustainable transition must also be sustainable in economic and employment terms, otherwise it loses democratic legitimacy.
Deficit of qualified information. The public debate on the transition is today marked by a deficit of accessible technical information, which leaves room for simplifications and polarisation. A structured effort of technical literacy is needed, one that makes citizens aware protagonists of collective choices.
Context and importance of the ecological transition
The planet is at a decisive stage. Climate change, pollution and pressure on natural resources pose challenges that demand concrete and timely responses. The ecological transition is not an ideological choice but an objective necessity. Every society, every economy must confront it, and doing so well makes the difference between a sustainable future and a compromised one.
The transport and energy sector plays a central role in this process. Responsible for a significant share of global greenhouse-gas emissions, it also has powerful levers for decarbonisation: technological innovation, deep-rooted industrial supply chains, skilled human capital and widespread infrastructure. Activating these levers effectively is a priority effort to which European society is called in the coming decades.
The transition offers the sector real opportunities: new high-value-added industrial supply chains, skilled employment in clean technologies, improved urban air quality, reduced dependence on non-renewable energy sources, and a strengthening of European energy security. These are achievable opportunities, provided the transition is managed with strategic intelligence.
But the transition must be governed wisely. We cannot afford ideological approaches, simplifications that ignore industrial complexity, or choices that artificially privilege some technologies at the expense of others equally valid. It is essential to combine environmental ambition with economic and social sustainability, protecting European industrial competitiveness and ensuring a transition that is fair for all.
The current context is particularly delicate. The European Automotive sector is going through a structural crisis, aggravated by a regulatory framework that offers no certainty and that, in some respects, produces counterproductive effects with respect to its own stated objectives. This manifesto stems precisely from the urgency of calling the European institutions to the responsibility of a coherent, workable and results-oriented governance.
Against this backdrop, the manifesto offers itself as a pragmatic guide for navigating the complexities of the transition. It promotes an approach founded on scientific evidence, technological neutrality and structured collaboration. It aims to be the reference document around which to gather the sector’s consensus and to steer the decisions of the institutions.
Vision and general objectives
Long-term vision
We envision a future in which the ecological transition of the transport and energy sector is guided by a pragmatic, scientifically informed and technologically neutral approach. A future in which environmental policies are developed in close collaboration between industry, research and institutions, with solutions that are at once economically advantageous, socially acceptable and industrially feasible.
We believe it is possible to achieve significant and lasting decarbonisation without compromising European industrial competitiveness — indeed strengthening it through innovation and the valorisation of supply chains of excellence. An ecosystem in which all stakeholders work together to build a cleaner, more prosperous and safer future, making Europe a global model of a balanced transition.
Main objectives of the manifesto
The manifesto pursues eight main objectives, interconnected and complementary.
Reduction of carbon emissions. Promote initiatives and technologies that contribute to a significant and measurable reduction in CO2 emissions, with realistic targets and deadlines aligned to actual industrial capacity.
Environmental sustainability in a broad sense. Encourage sustainable practices at all stages of energy and transport production, distribution and use, valorising circular supply chains starting with those of biomethane in its various origins.
Technological innovation and neutrality among technologies. Support the research and development of all technologies useful for decarbonisation, keeping technological neutrality as the guiding principle for choosing the genuinely best options on the basis of evidence and results.
Structured cross-sector collaboration. Promote ongoing collaboration between industry, research institutions, governments and other stakeholders, building stable platforms for dialogue and joint action.
Policies based on scientific evidence. Influence the creation of coherent European and national policies and regulations, grounded in scientific evidence, industrial realities and rigorous impact assessments.
Awareness-raising and qualification of the debate. Increase awareness and information on sustainability issues, promoting a culture of environmental responsibility founded on technical expertise.
Social and economic equity. Ensure that the transition takes place in a socially fair way, considering employment and economic implications and ensuring that the benefits are shared equitably across all territories.
Continuous monitoring and adaptation. Implement mechanisms for monitoring progress and adapting strategies, so that the manifesto and the policies it inspires always remain aligned with the evolving context.
Guiding Principles
The guiding principles are the axis around which the entire manifesto is articulated. They are not abstract statements but operational criteria that orient vision and strategy. There are three fundamental principles: the commitment to concrete decarbonisation, technological neutrality, and structured collaboration between industry, research and government. The three are closely connected: none produces results on its own, and their effectiveness depends on their joint application.
Commitment to decarbonisation
We are committed to significantly reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in the transport and energy sector. We will do so through the adoption of advanced technologies, the optimisation of production and distribution processes, and the promotion of sustainable practices along the entire value chain. This is not a declaration of principle but an operational task, which requires concrete actions, sustained investment and continuity over time.
Development and deployment of clean technologies. We support investment in the research and development of all technologies capable of contributing to emission reductions: biofuels, biomethane, bio-LNG, e-fuels, hydrogen, electrification and advanced hybrid systems. The plurality of technologies is a strength, not a dispersion. Each solution has an optimal scope, determined by transport needs, available infrastructure and economic conditions.
Life-cycle approach. We support measuring emissions on the basis of the entire life cycle of vehicles and fuels. The current approach, limited to tailpipe emissions, distorts assessments. A technology is truly clean only if it is so when all its phases are considered, from raw-material extraction to disposal. Only a complete calculation correctly orients policy and industrial choices.
Energy efficiency. We promote improving energy efficiency at all stages of energy production, distribution and use. Efficiency is the first source of clean energy: every unit of energy saved is an emission avoided.
Valorisation of circular supply chains. We support supply chains that integrate energy production and sustainable resource management, starting with biomethane in its various origins: from the management of urban organic waste (FORSU) to the valorisation of agricultural and livestock by-products. These supply chains turn an environmental problem into a low-impact energy solution. They represent a European and Italian competitive advantage to be preserved and strengthened.
Support for the transition of businesses. We support public instruments to assist businesses engaged in the transition: tax incentives, financing, technical assistance and training. The transition cannot be offloaded onto businesses without adequate support instruments. It is a public good that requires public investment.
Technological neutrality
Technological neutrality is the manifesto’s fundamental principle, the one that distinguishes it from ideological visions of the transition and forms its defining identity. It means evaluating and adopting solutions on the basis of their actual effectiveness in reducing emissions, without a-priori prejudices or preferences.
Objective evaluation. We adopt an impartial approach to evaluating technologies, founded on concrete data, measurable results and full life-cycle analysis. Policy choices must be justified by evidence, not by political preferences or sectoral pressures. Transparency of criteria is a condition of the legitimacy of decisions.
Plurality of solutions. No single technology can meet all transport needs. Differences in use, vehicle size, infrastructure and geographical conditions require different responses: biofuels, biomethane, bio-LNG, e-fuels, hydrogen, electrification, hybrid solutions. Plurality is not a complication but a response to the complexity of the sector.
Equal regulatory treatment. We promote full equal regulatory treatment between technologies with equivalent environmental performance over the life cycle. The current classification, which recognises only some technologies as “zero-emission” while ignoring overall carbon footprint, is technically improper and produces market distortions. Rigorous legislation treats equivalent technologies equivalently.
Flexibility and adaptability. We support an environment in which different technologies can be developed, tested and compared. The rigidity of top-down imposed choices is antithetical to innovation. Only an open framework makes it possible to seize emerging opportunities and to leave to the market the identification of the optimal solutions for each application.
Countering ideological pressures. The principle of technological neutrality must be actively defended. Ideological pressures and lobbying tend to steer regulatory choices towards specific technologies, regardless of their real performance. Defending the principle is an integral part of the manifesto’s advocacy work.
Collaboration between industry, research and government
No isolated actor can lead the ecological transition. It requires the active contribution of all the parties involved, each with its own specific contribution. Structured collaboration between industry, research and government is the manifesto’s third guiding principle.
Permanent dialogue platforms. We support the creation of stable platforms for dialogue between stakeholders, for an ongoing exchange of ideas, data and best practices. Occasional consultations are not enough. A structured exchange is needed, with adequate timeframes, transparent methodologies and accessible documentation.
Joint research and development projects. We promote research projects that bring together companies, research institutes and government bodies. Technology transfer is today one of the main bottlenecks of the transition: the time between scientific innovation and industrial application is too long. Overcoming this obstacle requires structured alliances between those who produce knowledge and those who apply it.
Structured consultations with stakeholders. We support systematic consultation processes during policy development. Consultation must be a constitutive component of decision-making, not a subsequent formality. Only in this way are policies workable, effective and socially supported.
Training and skills development. We collaborate with the education system to develop training programmes that prepare the workforce for the challenges of the transition. New technologies require new skills. A transition without investment in human capital produces employment gaps and slows innovation.
International coordination. We promote international coordination among sector actors. The ecological transition of transport is by its nature transnational. Europe is the minimum level of coordination required, but the sector also needs structured dialogue with non-European interlocutors. International collaboration is not an optional addition; it is a necessary dimension of the strategy.
Specific Objectives
The manifesto translates into concrete, measurable and verifiable objectives, articulated along three complementary axes: sustainability and emission reduction; innovation and technological research; and regulations and policies based on scientific evidence. The three axes reinforce one another. Decarbonisation without innovation is unrealistic, innovation without a coherent regulatory framework is ineffective, and regulations without scientific evidence risk producing the opposite of their stated effects.
Objectives of sustainability and emission reduction
We share the decarbonisation goals set at European and global level. We recognise the urgency of tackling climate change with concrete and measurable actions. But achieving these goals requires an approach that is at once ambitious and realistic, able to combine environmental needs with industrial, economic and social dynamics.
We are committed to promoting a significant reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions in the transport and energy sector. The transition must be measured not only against numerical targets, but also against their actual achievability without undermining the resilience of the European productive fabric. The timeline must be aligned with real industrial and market capacity.
We promote an approach to emission measurement based on the entire life cycle of vehicles and fuels. The current tailpipe-limited methodology does not capture the real impact along the energy and production chain. Only an accounting system based on overall carbon footprint makes it possible to correctly assess the contribution of the various solutions and to orient industrial and consumer choices.
In addition to CO2 reduction, we consider environmental sustainability goals in a broad sense to be priorities: reduction of local pollutants, improvement of urban air quality, circular resource management, and valorisation of the biomethane supply chains (from FORSU, agricultural and livestock sources). A strategic, highly circular resource for Italy and Europe.
Finally, we recognise the social and economic dimension of sustainability. A truly sustainable transition is such if it is socially fair, if it does not generate new exclusions, if it preserves employment in the sector, and if it guarantees access to solutions for households and businesses. Environmental goals cannot be pursued regardless of their employment, industrial and social-cohesion implications.
Objectives of innovation and technological research
Technological innovation is the main lever for achieving decarbonisation without giving up European industrial competitiveness. For this reason we regard support for the research and development of all useful technologies — without a-priori exclusions or ideological preferences — as a priority.
We are committed to promoting significant investment in research and development along all relevant technological lines: advanced biofuels, biomethane and bio-LNG, e-fuels, hydrogen, electrification, hybrid systems, high-efficiency internal-combustion engines. Investment priorities must be guided by research results and industrial potential, not by pre-emptive political choices.
We support the valorisation of mature industrial supply chains alongside emerging ones. The European sector has a technological and industrial heritage built over decades, which represents a crucial lever for accelerating the transition. The premature decommissioning of efficient technologies, without industrially ready alternatives, is a waste of resources and a threat to competitiveness.
We promote strong collaboration between industry, universities and research centres, to accelerate technology transfer from scientific discoveries to industrial applications. The time between laboratory innovation and large-scale implementation is today one of the main factors slowing the transition. Reducing it requires structured public-private partnership mechanisms and a results-oriented governance of innovation.
Finally, we support the development of professional skills. Technological innovation without parallel investment in human capital risks generating employment fractures and slowing the very adoption of new solutions.
Objectives for developing regulations and policies based on scientific evidence
European and national policies on the ecological transition must be founded on solid scientific evidence, verifiable data and rigorous impact assessments. Policy choices have direct consequences on the lives of millions of citizens and on the survival of entire industrial sectors. They cannot be guided by ideological simplifications or partisan pressures.
We are committed to promoting a coherent regulatory governance, capable of overcoming the current inconsistencies between the stated principles (flexibility, technological neutrality) and their substantial non-application in the implementing regulations. Effective legislation requires internal coherence between objectives, methodologies and instruments. Without this coherence, the framework generates industrial uncertainty and undermines the very goals it sets out to achieve.
We support the full application of the principle of technological neutrality in the European CO2-emission regulations, for both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. All RED-compliant fuels (biofuels, biomethane, bio-LNG, bioliquids, biomass fuels, e-fuels) must be recognised as strategic for decarbonisation, without limits on production, distribution or use that are not justified by specific scientific evidence.
We promote the classification of vehicles running on renewable fuels as net-zero-emission vehicles, putting them on a par, in regulatory terms, with electric and hydrogen vehicles. The current classification is technically improper and generates regulatory distortions with counterproductive effects on the environmental goals themselves.
We support a thorough review of the framework of incentives for the transport transition, inspired by the principle of technological neutrality. Public support instruments must guarantee households and operators access to all the solutions capable of contributing to decarbonisation goals, avoiding the artificial favouring of some technologies at the expense of others equally valid.
Finally, we ask that every regulatory proposal be accompanied by rigorous and transparent impact assessments — assessments that evaluate not only the expected environmental benefits, but also the industrial, employment and social consequences. The structured participation of stakeholders in decision-making processes, at all their stages, is a necessary condition for producing legislation that is workable and effective over time.
Implementation Strategies
The objectives translate into concrete strategies articulated on three levels: short- and long-term actions, the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and monitoring mechanisms. An effective strategy requires coherence between the three levels. Without concrete actions the objectives remain declarations, without clear roles the actions disperse, and without monitoring progress can be neither measured nor corrected.
Concrete short- and long-term actions
We distinguish between priority actions in the short term, within the next three years, and structural long-term actions, between five and ten years. The two dimensions are complementary: the former create the immediate conditions for the transition, the latter define its trajectory.
In the short term
Revision of the European CO2-emission regulatory framework for light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The current schedule, defined in a different market phase, requires greater flexibility and full application of technological neutrality. Alignment with real industrial capacity and actual demand dynamics is a precondition for any credible result.
Adoption of life-cycle-based calculation methodologies in environmental impact assessments, replacing the approach limited to tailpipe emissions. This methodological transition is the technical precondition for correctly recognising the contribution of the various technologies to decarbonisation.
Revision of the regime of transition incentives, repealing measures inconsistent with technological neutrality, starting with the proposed Clean Corporate Fleets Regulation. Incentives must support access to all useful technologies, including the production and distribution of biofuels, biomethane and infrastructure.
Suspension of the ETS2 Regulation, which, in a context of inflationary pressure and geopolitical instability, adds to transport and logistics costs without proportionate environmental benefits. Suspension makes it possible to recalibrate the instrument on parameters consistent with the real conditions of the European market.
Activation of permanent dialogue tables between European institutions, national governments, industry and research centres. The aim is to overcome the gap that currently exists between regulatory production and the technical and industrial knowledge of the sector.
In the long term
Building a stable, coherent and technologically neutral European regulatory framework, capable of offering certainty to industrial investment and steering the market towards the most effective solutions. Such a framework requires a comprehensive rethinking of the European regulatory architecture on transport and energy, today fragmented and often contradictory.
Development of infrastructure for all technologies useful to decarbonisation: electric charging, biomethane and bio-LNG distribution networks, e-fuel production plants, hydrogen infrastructure. The plurality of infrastructure is the material condition of technological neutrality. Without widespread infrastructure, alternative technologies remain theoretical options.
Industrial valorisation of the circular biomethane supply chains, in their various origins. These supply chains integrate the management of urban organic waste and the valorisation of agricultural and livestock by-products with the production of renewable energy. They represent a European and especially Italian competitive specificity, on which to concentrate coordinated public and private resources.
Structured training and reskilling programmes, in collaboration with national education systems and the private sector. The aim is to prepare the workforce for technological transformations and to prevent employment fractures.
Coordination with European industrial policies, so that the ecological transition of transport is an integral part of a strategy to strengthen the Union’s industrial competitiveness, not a factor of weakening relative to global competitors.
Roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders
Implementation requires the active contribution of a plurality of actors, each with a distinct but complementary role.
The European institutions have the primary responsibility to define a coherent, stable and technologically neutral regulatory framework, founded on scientific evidence and on a decision-making process open to stakeholders. The Commission, Parliament and Council must overcome the current inconsistencies between stated principles and implementing regulations.
National governments have the responsibility to translate the European framework into coherent and workable policies, to promote adequate infrastructure investment, to activate incentives aligned with technological neutrality, and to guarantee structured stakeholder participation in decision-making.
Companies in the sector have the responsibility to invest in innovation and research, accelerate technology transfer, contribute data and evidence to regulatory processes, train the workforce, and communicate the opportunities of the various solutions to the market.
Trade associations and representative bodies have the responsibility to coordinate the sector’s positions, ensure the coherence of advocacy, promote dialogue between the industrial world and the institutions, and spread a culture of pragmatic, evidence-based ecological transition.
The world of scientific and academic research has the responsibility to provide solid and independent knowledge bases, to rigorously assess the effectiveness of technologies, to collaborate with industry on technology transfer, and to train new generations of technical skills.
Civil-society organisations and consumers have the responsibility to contribute to the public debate in an informed way, to support consumption choices consistent with sustainability, and to exercise democratic oversight of transition policies.
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms
An implementation strategy is effective if accompanied by monitoring mechanisms capable of measuring progress, identifying deviations and prompting corrections.
We consider periodic monitoring of objective attainment to be necessary, with annual reports on the main dimensions: emission reduction, evolution of the vehicle fleet, infrastructure development, research and development investment, coherence of the regulatory framework, and accessibility of solutions for households and businesses.
We promote the adoption of rigorous and comparable performance indicators, based on the life cycle of technologies and capable of capturing the complexity of the transition in all its dimensions. The indicators must be defined transparently, with the participation of institutions, industry and the scientific community, and applied uniformly across all Member States.
We support the transparency of the data produced by monitoring, with accessible publication and open formats for independent analysis and public oversight. Transparency is a precondition of trust in the transition process.
We ask that monitoring results have an operational impact on decision-making, with policy-review mechanisms in the event that deviations from objectives exceed predefined thresholds. Monitoring that produces no consequences is a ritual exercise. Only the connection between evaluation and decision makes the process truly adaptive.
Finally, we promote annual moments of public discussion on monitoring results, on the occasion of the publication of the monitoring reports, involving all stakeholders in a shared examination of progress and obstacles. This discussion is an integral part of the governance of the transition.
Stakeholder Collaboration and Engagement
The manifesto is not a static document but a living platform, designed to grow through the active contribution of all those who share its principles and objectives. Its effectiveness depends on the ability to build a structured system of collaboration, one that turns memberships into joint action and consensus into political influence.
Modes of stakeholder engagement
Engagement is articulated on three levels, distinct in degree of responsibility but interconnected.
The first level is that of the promoters, made up of the Observatory for Technological Neutrality in Transport and the trade associations that are its founding part: NGV Italy, UNEM, Federauto, Confartigianato Trasporti. The promoters guarantee the manifesto’s strategic coherence, coordinate its evolution over time, represent it before European and national institutions, and promote membership.
The second level is that of the signatories, made up of associations, companies, research institutions and other parties that formally join the manifesto, sharing its principles and commitments. Signatories take part in the journey through technical contributions, advocacy support and dissemination of the message in their respective fields.
The third level is that of the supporters, made up of professionals, experts, citizens, civil-society organisations and political representatives who publicly declare their support for the manifesto’s principles. The contribution of supporters builds the widespread legitimacy needed to influence the public debate and decision-making processes.
Engagement is structured through different forms of participation, calibrated to the characteristics of each stakeholder: technical tables for associations and companies, seminars and workshops for the research world, targeted consultations with institutional interlocutors, and open events for the wider public.
Finally, we support the international engagement of the manifesto. A platform that aspires to influence European policy must build connections with stakeholders in other Member States, share principles and strategies with counterpart organisations, and take part in European and global forums on the transport transition. National isolation would contradict the very nature of the goals pursued.
Feedback and revision processes
The manifesto must remain alive over time, aligned with the evolution of the technological, regulatory, industrial and social context. For this reason we provide for structured feedback and revision processes on two time levels: an annual consultation of signatories and a comprehensive biennial revision of the document.
We are committed to promoting annual consultation moments with all signatories. Operational occasions for collective review, not ritual exercises, whose outcomes feed the evolution of the manifesto and converge with the annual monitoring reports provided for in point 4.
We adopt structured tools for collecting feedback, both written and through direct meetings. Every qualified contribution is a resource, and it must be able to arrive easily and be handled with care.
We provide for a comprehensive revision of the manifesto every two years, with the possibility of targeted updates in the event of significant developments requiring timely responses. The revision involves all signatories and concludes with the publication of an updated version, according to the procedures defined in point 6.
We guarantee the transparency of the revision process. Proposed amendments, contributions received and decisions taken are documented and accessible to signatories. A non-transparent process generates distrust and undermines the legitimacy of changes.
Finally, we consider it important that the manifesto maintain its identity coherence over time. Revisions update content and strategies without distorting the founding principles of technological neutrality, pragmatism and scientific evidence that constitute its identity.
Communication and awareness-raising initiatives
The strength of a manifesto depends not only on its content but on the ability to make it known and shared. Communication initiatives are an integral part of implementation, not an accessory.
We develop a coherent, multi-level communication strategy, tailoring messages to the different target audiences: European and national policy makers, industrial operators, the research world, the media, public opinion. Each audience has its own sensitivities and languages, but the coherence of the core message remains unchanged.
We use a plurality of channels appropriate to the characteristics of each audience: institutional publications and position papers for the institutions, contributions in general and specialist media, active presence on digital and social channels, participation in sector events, conferences and public meetings.
The dedicated website is the manifesto’s digital point of reference. It hosts the full text, the list of signatories, related initiatives, and updates on relevant European and national policies. It is the place where anyone can access the document, understand its journey, and join or support it.
We are committed to producing quality content, founded on evidence and verifiable data, capable of qualifying the public debate. The manifesto’s communication is not propaganda but an informed contribution to democratic debate. Every message must rest on solid foundations, every claim must be verifiable.
Finally, we support education and awareness-raising initiatives aimed at the wider public. The public debate on the transition is today often dominated by ideological simplifications. Countering them requires patient and structured work of technical and scientific literacy, enabling informed citizens to take part consciously in collective choices.
Signatories’ Commitments
The manifesto is a tool for collective action, not a mere declaration of intent. Signing it entails concrete and verifiable commitments, without which membership would remain a formal act. The commitments are calibrated to the nature of each signatory and to their capacity to contribute to the common journey, in a logic of proportionate responsibility rather than abstract uniformity.
Specific commitments of signatories
By signing the manifesto, signatories take on commitments on several complementary levels.
Commitment of principle. Signatories share the manifesto’s founding principles (pragmatic decarbonisation, technological neutrality, collaboration between industry, research and government) and commit to inspiring their public positioning on the ecological transition of transport with these principles.
Commitment to advocacy. Signatories actively support the manifesto’s proposals before the institutions within their remit: direct relations with policy makers, participation in public consultations, contributions in European and national forums, and official positions of the signatory organisations.
Commitment to technical contribution. Signatories make their specific expertise available through data, analyses, technical studies and industrial testimony. The value of the manifesto depends to a decisive extent on the quality and relevance of the contributions that signatories are able to bring.
Commitment to communication. Signatories disseminate the manifesto’s content in their own fields, promote awareness of it among relevant stakeholders, and counter, with their own communication means, ideological simplifications about the transition. The reach of dissemination is a condition of the manifesto’s effectiveness.
Commitment to monitoring. Signatories take part in the processes of monitoring the manifesto’s implementation, contributing to data collection, progress assessment and the identification of emerging issues. Collective monitoring is a tool of mutual accountability.
Commitment to coherence. Signatories maintain coherence between their signature and their concrete actions, avoiding public positions or operational choices that contradict the document’s principles. Coherence is the condition of the credibility of collective action.
In practice, this means that trade associations and representative bodies are asked for a full commitment on all levels. Individual companies, a commitment consistent with their operational capacity. Research institutions, a predominantly technical contribution and scientific advocacy. Individual supporters, a commitment of principle and communication, within the limits of their roles.
Modes of membership and signing
Membership is open to all associations, companies, institutions and parties that share its principles and objectives. The process is structured to ensure openness and qualification.
Membership of organisations. Trade associations, companies, research institutions and other organised bodies join through a formal declaration signed by the legal representative or a delegate. The declaration attests to the sharing of the principles and the acceptance of the commitments. The operational methods of signing are available on the dedicated website.
Membership of individual supporters. Individual professionals, experts, citizens and political representatives join as supporters with a public declaration, through simplified but equally documented procedures. Individual membership does not entail representation of the organisations to which they belong, unless explicitly mandated.
Qualification of memberships. The promoters assess applications by verifying their consistency with the founding principles. The verification is not selective in an exclusionary sense, but serves to ensure that the manifesto maintains its identity and credibility. Applications with evident incompatibilities may be rejected with a transparent justification.
Publicity of memberships. The list of signatories is public on the dedicated website and regularly updated. Transparency is a constitutive element of the manifesto’s legitimacy and a tool of mutual recognition among signatories.
Withdrawal from membership. Signatories may withdraw at any time with formal notice to the promoters. Withdrawal entails removal from the public list but implies no residual obligations or forms of litigation.
Procedures for updating the manifesto
The manifesto lives over time only if it has clear and legitimate procedures for updating. The comprehensive biennial revision provided for in point 5 follows the procedures defined here. We establish rules that define who can propose changes, how they are discussed and approved, and how they are communicated.
Proposing changes. Proposals may be put forward by the promoters, by the signatories and, in a consultative capacity, by the supporters. Each proposal must be justified with reference to developments in the regulatory, technological, industrial or scientific context.
Examination. Proposals are subject to a technical examination by the promoters, who assess their consistency with the principles, their impact on the structure of the document, and their implications for the signatories. The examination may draw on targeted consultations with experts and qualified stakeholders.
Consultation of signatories. Proposals deemed worthy of further examination are submitted to a consultation of signatories, with adequate time for an informed assessment. The consultation gathers observations, requests for changes and reasoned objections.
Approval. Changes are approved by the promoters on the basis of the examination and the consultation. The method favours the search for the broadest possible consensus, it being understood that the final decision rests with the promoters, as guarantors of the document’s identity.
Communication. Approved changes are communicated to all signatories and made public on the dedicated website. The updated version replaces the previous one, which remains accessible for historical consultation and transparency.
Urgent updates. In cases of rapid developments in the context, the promoters may proceed with urgent updates through a simplified procedure, informing signatories afterwards. This mode is reserved for exceptional circumstances and has the character of integration rather than comprehensive revision.
Integrity of the document. The updating procedures guarantee in any case the integrity of the founding principles. Changes that affect the identity core — the principles of technological neutrality, pragmatism and the non-ideological approach — require a broader consultation process and a qualified consensus among signatories.
By signing this manifesto we commit to working together for an ecological transition of the transport and energy sector that is ambitious and realistic, results-oriented and respectful of industrial complexity, founded on scientific evidence and open to all technologies capable of contributing to decarbonisation. A commitment that is not only ours, but which we offer as a collective contribution to the future of Europe.