MOBILITY ACTION AWARD 2025: HEYSUN EXPO’S MOBILITY DAY PROJECT AMONG THE EUROPEAN WINNERS
Brussels – On March 17, the Mobility Action Award ceremony took place at the Vaudeville Theatre in Brussels, a prestigious European recognition dedicated to best practices in responsible and low-emission mobility.
Tra i progetti premiati anche il Mobility Day, organizzato all’interno della manifestazione HeySun – Expo della Transizione Energetica, promossa da SiciliaFiera. L’iniziativa è stata riconosciuta a livello europeo insieme ai progetti provenienti da Turchia e Alto Adige, confermando il valore delle attività realizzate in Sicilia per promuovere la mobilità sostenibile tra le nuove generazioni.
Among the awarded projects was Mobility Day, organized as part of HeySun – Energy Transition Expo, promoted by SiciliaFiera. The initiative received European recognition alongside projects from Turkey and South Tyrol, confirming the value of the activities carried out in Sicily to promote sustainable mobility among younger generations.
The Mayor of Misterbianco, Marco Corsaro, emphasized: “The presence of SiciliaFiera among the finalists of this European award is important for our area. Misterbianco once again proves to be a place capable of hosting wide-ranging initiatives that promote innovation, sustainability, and youth participation. The involvement of more than one thousand students shows how essential it is to invest in education for sustainable mobility.”
Great satisfaction was also expressed by the institutional and local partners involved. Member of the European Parliament Raffaele Stancanelli stated: “The presence of SiciliaFiera, Catania’s exhibition hub, among the finalists of the Mobility Action Award is a source of pride for our Sicily. It bears witness to the expertise, professionalism, and commitment of one of the region’s finest excellences. As a Sicilian Member of the European Parliament, I am proud to support its value and journey.”
MEP Gaetano Pedullà also expressed his satisfaction: “The emergence, at the European level, of a Sicilian mobility project is doubly significant, as it affirms the region’s ability to compete in an increasingly challenging context and, at the same time, its determination to seriously address the limitations imposed by its peripheral position, its historic lack of infrastructure, and the necessary financial resources to develop it. As a Member of the European Parliament born in and deeply connected to Catania, I firmly support the commitment and innovative capacity of SiciliaFiera, a leading player with the HeySun 2025 Mobility Days project within the prestigious Mobility Action Award.”
Fabrizio Penna, Head of the PNRR Department at MASE – the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security – praised SiciliaFiera’s virtuous example: “I would like to express my sincerest congratulations to SiciliaFiera for being among the three candidates for the MOBILITYACTION Award 2026, a European recognition that highlights concrete and ongoing actions in support of sustainable mobility. The Mobility Days initiative, carried out within the framework of HEYSUN Expo, deserves credit for placing young people at the heart of cultural and environmental transformation, offering more than one thousand students a direct and informed experience of sustainable travel alternatives: from cycling mobility to micromobility, from road safety to public transport. Education, community involvement, and collaboration among institutions and local partners are key drivers in supporting the ecological transition. Sustainable mobility is not only an infrastructural issue, but also a process of changing behaviors and daily habits. The work undertaken by SiciliaFiera is a virtuous example of how cooperation among public bodies, the education sector, and local communities can generate lasting value for younger generations and for the entire community. Initiatives like this strengthen Italy’s path toward mobility that is more accessible, safer, and more environmentally friendly, making a concrete contribution to European objectives for decarbonization and urban quality of life. It is through education and the involvement of young people that we build the foundations for a lasting and shared ecological transition.”
Within this important European achievement, the University of Catania, through Professors Giuseppe Inturri and Michela Le Pira, played a fundamental role by actively contributing to the organization of the Mobility Days and taking part in the educational and demonstration activities aimed at younger generations. Through projects such as MOOVLE, SMART3R-FLITS, IN-MOB, and BEC2SCHOOL, the University promoted awareness of road safety, active mobility, and the smart use of technologies, offering students an immersive and educational experience.
The European nomination represents recognition of the value of collaboration between the university, institutions, and the local area, and confirms the University of Catania’s commitment to supporting policies and initiatives capable of fostering cities that are safer, more accessible, and more sustainable, strengthening the University’s role as a key player in the processes of innovation and change linked to the mobility of the future.
The award ceremony was also attended by Vincenzo Di Bella, Founder & Team Principal of Futuro Solare, who, together with his team, supported the initiative: “It is essential to support events like HeySun because they promote innovation, the energy transition, and sustainable mobility as concrete drivers of European development and growth.”
Among those attending the event was FIAB Catania President Marco Oddo, who stated with satisfaction: “Being among the three finalists of the MOBILITYACTION Award 2025 together with SiciliaFiera proves that a new model of sustainable mobility can also emerge from Southern Italy. FIAB Catania is proud to have contributed, through its active participation in HEYSUN, to an innovative path that highlights the bicycle as a key player in the energy transition.”
During the three days of Mobility Days, more than 1,000 students took part in hands-on activities dedicated to micromobility, road safety, and public transport, thanks to the collaboration of numerous partners: ACI – Automobile Club of Italy, AMTS – Catania Metropolitan Transport and Parking Company, Carabinieri Biodiversity Unit, FIAB – Italian Federation for the Environment and Bicycle, Futuro Solare, LIME, Traffic Police, the Regional School Office for Sicily, and the University of Catania.
An experiential journey that enabled young people to test safe and sustainable travel solutions and engage directly with institutions, local authorities, and sector operators. The initiative demonstrated how education, active participation, and multilateral collaboration can have a concrete impact on daily habits, promoting transport models that are inclusive, accessible, and environmentally friendly.
In this regard, the Principal of I.C. Federico De Roberto in Catania, Professor Cinzia Giuffrida, expressed great satisfaction with the students’ participation and commitment: “The event represented a unique opportunity for the students, which, through hands-on activities, made them not only spectators but active protagonists of a ‘sustainable’ future of which they will be both creators and citizens. It was an educational opportunity through which the younger generations, by taking part in workshops, experienced engaging activities and reflected both on the importance of making more conscious transport choices and on the use of renewable sources and clean energy. The students, guided along a path designed to help them understand the importance of responsible consumption of the planet’s resources with respect for the environment, were encouraged to aspire to a smart city and to contribute to the fight against climate change.”
Being among the winners of the Mobility Action Award 2025 confirms SiciliaFiera’s role as a strategic platform for dialogue and for the dissemination of best practices in the fields of energy and the environment. This recognition highlights the work carried out during HEYSUN – Energy Transition Expo and strengthens the commitment to a future in which sustainable mobility is not an alternative, but the natural choice for younger generations and for the entire region.
SiciliaFiera Press Office
