Petrol and diesel-engined passenger cars should not allowed in European city centres by 2050, the European Commission has proposed.

The proposals, outlined to EU governments today by EC transport commissioner Siim Kallas, are designed to help cut Europe’s carbon emissions and reduce dependence on oil by up to 60 per cent. They are not an attack on personal mobility, the EC claims.

Also included in the radical transport plan is a proposal for the majority of journeys of 190-miles or less to take place by train.

“The widely held belief that you need to cut mobility to fight climate change is simply not true,” said Kallas. “Competitive transport systems are vital for Europe's ability to compete in the world, for economic growth, job creation and for people's everyday quality of life.”

The EC wants 50 per cent of Europe’s vehicles to be zero emissions by 2030 and conventionally fuelled vehicles to be banned from cities altogether by 2050.

There are also plans for a fully integrated European travel network, known as ‘Single European Transport Area’, linking all airports with core railway lines to “allow for a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers and freight”.

The EC wants Europe to "move close to zero fatalities in road transport" by 2050, with an interim target of halving casualties by 2020.