Mobility is a prerequisite for prosperity, quality of life and social participation. At the same time, motor vehicles continue to be an essential component of everyday and economic mobility. CO₂-savings in the transport sector are crucial for achieving the goals of the "Fit for 55" package.

The Austrian Chamber of Labour demands that there must be professional and financial prospects for the ones that are affected by this structural change. A fair distribution of costs and profits is necessary.

AK supports the goal of EU-wide decarbonisation by 2050. However, this process must be designed to be fair and in the interest of workers (“just transition”). Thus, AK welcomes the establishment of a Social Climate Fund. There is, however, no support for the proposal for heating fuels and motor fuels for households to be included in an EU-wide cap-and-trade system in the form of a separate emissions trading scheme. This is due to the risk of unpredictable price peaks, which can affect low-income households in particular.

Energy is not a resource like any other. More than ever, it is the central resource for participating in modern life. However, people who are affected by energy poverty can only use basic energy services such as electricity, heat or hot water to a limited extent or not at all. This already massively affects them in their current everyday life, but in view of the upcoming energy transition and climate change, this will become an even greater challenge for these households.

The targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 55 % below 1990 levels by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 have been enshrined in the European Climate Law. The Commission has now presented its “Fit for 55” package, outlining which concrete measures will be taken to accomplish these targets. Comprising of no fewer than eight Regulations, five Directives, two Communications and two Decisions, this package covers important sectors, which are needed to achieve climate neutrality.

It is well known that the coronavirus pandemic has hit consumers and companies hard, particularly in the field of travel. As a result of the crisis, known problems in consumer law have become more evident and a lack of clarity, gaps in legal protection and practical difficulties in asserting rights have been highlighted. The Austrian Chamber of Labour therefore calls for improvements and clarifications within the european travel law, namely the Package Travel Directive and the Passenger Rights Regulations for air, rail, ship, coach and bus travel.

The Austrian Chamber of Labour in principle welcomes the reduction goals set out in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, which include a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050.

On 10th May 2021, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment invited experts to a hearing on genome editing. One of the four experts invited was Iris Strutzmann, AK Vienna, to represent the interests of consumers.

On 9 December 2020, the European Commission presented its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, which specifies the contribution the transport sector should make to achieving the Green Deal.

The new Directive on batteries and waste batteries is intended to support the EU in its efforts to achieve its climate goals and in the transition to a low carbon economy. Batteries are to become sustainable, efficient, durable, and safe throughout their life cycle. They should be produced causing the minimum of environmental impact and made of materials that are sourced in a manner that fully ensures compliance with human rights, as well as social and ecological standards.

On 29 April 2021, the European Parliament confirmed the compromise on rail passenger rights, which it negotiated with the Council and the Commission at the end of the year 2020. Hence, the negotiations regarding this Regulation are complete. From the passengers´ perspective, there are only few improvements, but one significant deterioration instead.