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transportenvironment.org
T&E
@transportenvironment.org
Europe’s leading advocates for clean transport and energy. Fighting for an affordable zero-emission transport system that benefits both people and the planet.

www.transportenvironment.org
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9/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In November, we challenged the widely accepted view from the aviation industry that air traffic growth drives economic growth.

The analysis found that this link is actually weaker than commonly claimed in many regions across Europe.
8/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In October, we analysed the emissions data from 127,000 plug-in hybrids and found that, despite carmaker pressure on the EU to treat these cars as clean vehicles, they pollute almost as much as petrol cars.
7/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In July, we looked at the growing size of cruise ships.

Because they spend significantly more time at berth, cruise ships produce more than 6x more port-side emissions than container ships.

Plugging in at port would eliminate almost all of it and cut the ship’s total yearly emissions by 1/5.
6/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
As the aviation industry gathered at the Paris Air Show to show off their latest fossil-fuel-powered aircraft, our analysis suggested that weak innovation in aircraft technology is undercutting the sector’s green transition.
5/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In June our research revealed that the bonnet height of new cars in Europe is increasing by half a centimetre a year, driven by the growth in new SUV sales.

This “carspreading” trend is a worrying development for road safety, as high-fronted cars bring a higher risk of fatality in a crash.
4/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In April, we found that emissions from European aviation almost bounced back to 2019 levels in 2024, with the top polluters being Ryanair, Lufthansa and British Airways.

The study analysed how the EU’s carbon market is currently failing to address the true cost of these emissions.
3/
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In March, our 2025 State of European Transport showed that Europe was on track to save 20 million tonnes of CO2 in 2025 thanks to more electric cars, but that air traffic growth is undermining these carbon savings.
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December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
The legislative proposals now must be debated and agreed on by the EU Parliament and national governments before entering into force.

If they remain unchanged, the EU will undermine its own industrial competitiveness and damage the long-term future of its automotive industry.
6/
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
🚗 The EU’s plan to promote the production of small EVs allows for every small electric car sold to count as 1.3 zero-emission cars towards a carmaker’s CO2 target.

🔋 And meanwhile, the EU Battery Booster strategy failed to secure any new finance to support the EU battery industry.
5/
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
What else is in the proposal?

🎯 National targets for EV company cars are welcome, but they are not ambitious enough to drive rapid uptake in a sector which should be leading Europe’s electrification efforts.
4/
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The zero-emissions target in 2035 would be weakened to a -90% reduction in CO2 emissions.

T&E calculates that 25% fewer battery electric vehicles would be sold in 2035 than under the current target.
3/
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reversing the EU’s 2035 phase-out of combustion engine sales sends a confusing signal to the European car industry and consumers.

Under the proposal, carmakers could continue selling cars with engines despite the EU’s aim to have the last polluting cars off its roads by 2050.
2/
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
T&E recommends that any tolling projects should be aligned with this Directive (Eurovignette) to guarantee Ukraine’s future in the EU and on the way to net zero.

Read our report 👇
bit.ly/3N04uru
Eurovignette for Ukraine: Truck tolling to save Ukrainian roads and environment
This report looks into how Ukraine could pilot infrastructure charges, or tolls for trucks based on their impact on the road surface and environment.
www.transportenvironment.org
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Of the €1 billion that could be brought in by truck tolling under this system, 66% would come from CO2, air and noise pollution surcharges.

This is why it is important to gradually transition to a tolling system based on the CO2 emission classes in the long-term.
7/
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
In a survey conducted by the European Business Association, 76% of Ukrainian businesses support the introduction of a toll.

Ukraine could implement a distance-based toll with adjusted rates which varies by Euro standard, weight & axle of the truck as Directive 2022/362/EC on tolling recommends.
6/
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Tolling doesn’t have to mean a big spike in prices. Under the most ambitious German toll scenario, the added cost would amount to only 0.84 eurocents for a beer transported across the country.

The same cost increase could be also due to wear and tear of trucks on the poor road.
5/
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
The majority of heavy-duty trucks on the road are older and less efficient.

Some of them are also overloaded.

This means more air pollution and a quicker degradation of road conditions.
4/
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Our research found that since 2024, road repairs have happened largely through EU and international funding.

Three new “mega-projects” for road reconstruction announced in 2025 total over €12 billion, 15x more money for road infrastructure than in 2024.
3/
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Implementing this “polluter pays” system is a practical and sustainable option for paying for road repairs on the TEN-T network and repairing 25,000 km of road and 344 bridges damaged during the war.
2/
December 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM