Mobility and transport

The European Commission put forward an Action Plan, which builds on the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry, and presented concrete actions to ensure a robust and sustainable automotive sector and to help unleash its innovative power. To maintain a strong European production base and avoid strategic dependencies, €1.8 billion will be made available to create a secure and competitive supply chain for battery raw materials, which will help support the growth of the European automotive industry.

On March 28th Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas presented Bologna with the European Mobility Week Award and Pěšky městem, a Czech association, with the Mobility Action Award. Both awards aim to promote awareness of sustainable urban mobility and recognise outstanding initiatives implemented during the European Mobility Week in 2024. Slovenian town Solčava received a special mention for its commitment to sustainable transport, proving that even small communities can make a big impact.

Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas met with 19 young people from across Europe on 6 March to discuss their needs and expectations as transport users, tourists and job seekers. During the Youth Policy Dialogue, the first of his mandate, participants shared challenges they have faced when using transport, including affordability, accessibility and safety, as well as the opportunities they see for the future of transport in Europe. The discussion travelled from the need for high-speed, well-connected trains to greater possibilities for multimodal and climate friendly transport. The Commissioner actively listened and exchanged with participants, also asking how they feel about ‘overtourism’ and what kind of future they see for tourism in Europe.

The European Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on a key legislative file aimed at improving road safety. The new Directive will ensure at last that drivers who commit serious offenses in one Member State face consistent consequences across the EU.

The European Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on its initiative to modernise EU driving licence rules. The new Directive on driving licences aims to reduce the number of crashes on EU roads and to cut undue burdens on citizens and authorities related to administrative procedures.

The 8th EU-Singapore Transport Dialogue was co-chaired by the European Commission's Director-General for Mobility and Transport, Magda Kopczyńska, and the Permanent Secretary for Transport of the Ministry of Transport of Singapore, Lau Peet Meng. Discussions revolved around bilateral technical cooperation across all transport modes and the global challenges to international transport.

The European Commission has released preliminary figures on road fatalities for 2024, reporting around 19,800 deaths - a 3% decrease from 2023, equivalent to 600 fewer lives lost. While this marks a step in the right direction, the overall pace of improvement remains too slow, and most Member States are not on track to meet the EU’s goal of halving road deaths by 2030.

The European Commission welcomes the landmark decision reached at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Committee for Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). The agreement establishes a comprehensive set of new binding standards for aircraft fuel efficiency, to take effect on 31 December 2031, and noise levels for new aircraft, set to come into force as of 1 January 2029. Formal adoption is expected at an upcoming ICAO Council session.

The European Commission launched the 2026 edition of the European Capital of Smart Tourism and the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism competitions. To compete for the 2026 titles, cities are asked to demonstrate their innovative tourism practices and submit their applications online. Applications close on 30 May 2025 at 17:00 CET.

The European Commission has adopted a decision assessing the Netherlands' plan to introduce measures at Schiphol Airport reducing noise for local residents. This plan is a step to achieve the ambitious goal of the EU's Zero Pollution Action Plan, which aims to reduce by 30% the number of people suffering from chronic transport noise by 2030.

New EU rules addressing the safety of ground handling services in Europe have entered into force, addressing the importance of ground handling in ensuring safe flights. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has been tasked to support the industry and competent authorities in implementing the needed changes by 2028.

The European Commission published a report assessing the development of the EU sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) market and possible improvements to the SAF flexibility mechanism. The report highlights key areas for improvement, including enhancing traceability and transparency in SAF transactions, reducing administrative burdens, and simplifying reporting obligations for fuel suppliers and airlines, and concludes that complex additional flexibility mechanisms appear to be unwarranted at this stage.

Oana Gherghinescu has been selected as the future Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), following a decision by the Agency’s Management Board during its 68th meeting. Holding a doctorate in international economics, Oana Gherghinescu is an accomplished leader with over 22 years of experience, including 11 years of dedicated service within ERA, and 13 years in leadership roles.

The available EU-wide data for 2023 shows that rural roads continue to be the most dangerous, with 52% of road traffic fatalities occurring on such roads, compared with 38% in urban areas and 9% on motorways. Men accounted for over three quarters of all road deaths (77%). Older people, aged 65+, are at greater risk as they represented 31% of all road deaths (up from 28% in 2019) while they account for 21% of the population. Similarly, young people aged 18-24 accounted for 12% of road deaths while making up only 7% of the population.

The EU-Ukraine Business Summit will be held on April 10-11 at Autoworld Brussels. The Summit functions as a forum designed to strengthen economic ties between Ukraine and the EU, showcasing business opportunities and strategies for future collaboration. Among the speakers is Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for DG MOVE.

The Europe for Aviation partners are proud to announce our participation at Airspace World 2025 in Lisbon from 13-15 May 2025, where we will showcase how collaboration is transforming Europe’s skies into a seamless, sustainable, and future-ready aviation ecosystem.

The SESAR Joint Undertaking has announced two calls under its Digital European Sky research and innovation programme, within the framework of Horizon Europe. With a combined budget of EUR 254 million, these calls mark the first steps in executing the new European ATM Master Plan, the comprehensive roadmap for transforming air traffic management in Europe, published in December 2024.

Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) has just launched its Call for Proposals 2025-1. The Call seeks potential solutions to address current transport challenges and enhance the performance of the existing rail system through the introduction of Maglev-Derived Transport Systems (MDS). It aims to find solutions on the technical open points of maglev-derived technologies. The overall indicative budget for this Call is 3 million EUR.

The European Commission has published a Communication outlining the path to the next long-term EU budget. Have your say in one of the Public Consultations that are open to all EU citizens. Your opinion is highly valued and will play a role in shaping the future of both European transport and the multiannual budget.