The Welsh Government decision in 2021 to include transport in its new Ministry of Climate Change was met with surprise and some scepticism. Wales was the first European country to make climate change the responsibility of a specific minister and so consider climate change as a primary criterion in transport policy and planning.
Transport had until then been seen by the Welsh Government as related to inward investment and employment particularly in a country on the edge of Europe and, unfortunately, outside the European Union market. Wales had lost its preferred EU investment grant position to the accession states of eastern EU. I saw this happen when working on EU projects between 1991 and 2010; it was quite understandable that transport investment would transfer to those states because it is a ‘top-4’ criterion for inward investment which the EU directed towards lower GDP per head countries.
It seemed our government had lost its way. However, that foresight now reflects changing conditions internationally.
