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Dear friends and colleagues,

In 2021 EPA will be celebrating 38 years of activity and is holding its 20^th International Congress and Exhibition in Brussels.

The 2021 Congress theme is “The EU Green Deal and the Future of Parking – Integrated solutions for Dynamic Urban Management” and will be the most complete and multidisciplinary event involving operators in the parking industry, national and local public administrations, representatives of European Commissions and Projects, experts in the field of mobility, urban logistics, electrical mobility, the data world, ITS, Apps and much more. We will be examining the overall parking and urban mobility situation in Europe enabling us to address wider issues of urban mobility alongside detailed parking matters, indicating that EPA is positively promoting parking solutions for sustainable mobility, contributing to the reduction of congestion, pollution and improving accessibility.

The European Parking Association today represents the national associations of 21 countries and their 41 million on- and off-street parking spaces, almost 500 thousand professional employees and an estimated annual turnover of €23 billion. This stimulating cultural, operative and economical context with its vast range of parking and mobility realities and solutions is being used to increase the awareness of the enormous potential and opportunities that parking management offers in contributing to sustainable towns and cities generating liveable, accessible and competitive centres. The EPA professionals today contribute by managing the static component of the mobility chain in the on- and off-street spaces for individual, collective and logistics vehicles, and the technological revolution that we are part of today is a stimulating challenge for the parking industry that is part of the fast moving world where the digital, technological, clean energy and behavioural developments are generating new opportunities.

Many illustrious personalities from the political, scientific, academic and industrial fields have been speakers during recent congresses, and to name a few confirming the level of prestige: Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport, Prof. Donald Shoup, Professor of the Department of Urban Planning – UCLA, Los Angeles, José Viegas, Secretary General of the International Transport Forum, Transport and Mobility Ministers and Mobility Councillors from many countries, leaders and experts from the automotive industry and its associations, the transport authorities and their associations, the ITS world and of course public and private experts from the parking industry and internationally renowned academics.

The EPA Congress combines a well-attended scientific conference with a trade exhibition for the parking and mobility industry. The recent events have seen an average presence of over 500 delegates, 50 top-level national and international speakers and 70 exhibitors from 32 countries worldwide.

The professional trade exhibition alongside the Congress offers the opportunity to the manufacturers, suppliers and others active in this field to promote their products and services. We ask you to consider this exceptional showcase event for gaining information, exchanging ideas and networking with the European Parking Industry.

As always, the Congress marks the biennial presentation of the prestigious EPA Awards introduced in 1994, in five different categories, illustrating the state of art solutions combining management, technology and environmental attention.

In 2021 the Congress will reach a new level and will mark a further strategic change in EPA’s development. EPA together with BPF, the Belgian Parking Federation who will be hosting the event, is making every effort to ensure the Congress is a worthwhile, enjoyable and memorable event.

Today the EPA Congress is unquestionably the most important combined international parking and mobility event in Europe and we look forward to meeting you all in Brussels at the 20^th EPA Congress and Exhibition.