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Road safety has improved significantly in the EU, with the number of road fatalities falling by more than 60 % in the last 20 years. However, improvements in road safety have fallen short of the EU goals of decreasing the number of road deaths by 50 % between 2001 and 2010, and by an additional 50 % between 2011 and 2020. Directive (EU) 2015/413 facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road safety-related traffic offences – the Cross-border Enforcement (CBE) Directive – is one of the ...

Common rules have been drawn up to ensure that passengers receive at least a minimum level of assistance in the event of serious delays to or cancellation of their journey, irrespective of the mode of transport used, and, in particular, to protect more vulnerable travellers. The rules also provide for compensation schemes. A wide range of derogations may be granted for rail and road transport services, however, and court actions challenging the application of the rules are still common.

The setting up of the single aviation market in the late 1990s has profoundly transformed the air transport industry and has greatly contributed to the strong growth in air transport in Europe over the past 20 years.

EU rail transport policy is geared towards the creation of a single European railway area. Three packages and a recast were adopted in the space of 10 years following the opening-up of the railway sector to competition in 2001. A fourth package, designed to complete the single European railway area, was adopted in April 2016 (the technical pillar) and in December 2016 (the market pillar).

Unmanned aerial vehicles – drones – are a rapidly evolving high potential sector. They require an adequate legislative framework to ensure that the services they can provide thrive in the EU internal market while meeting security and safety standards. The European Commission's 'drone strategy 2.0' is a key milestone along this road.

In July 2021, the European Commission put forward the 'fit for 55' package of legislative proposals, aimed at ensuring the success of the European Green Deal. The FuelEU Maritime regulation is one of these proposals and, together with four other proposals, it seeks to steer the EU maritime sector towards decarbonisation. To support the uptake of sustainable maritime fuels, the Commission proposes to limit the carbon intensity of the energy used on board ships. Accordingly, the proposal sets a fuel ...

On 14 July 2021, the European Commission presented the 'fit for 55' package of proposals to help reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The package includes a proposal to revise the 2014 Directive on alternative fuels infrastructure and turn it into a regulation. In the draft regulation, the Commission proposed binding targets for electric vehicle charging points and hydrogen refuelling points, electric charging for stationary aircraft at airports ...

For over 30 years, the EU has been pursuing the objective of developing an efficient and competitive EU-wide railway network, the single European railway area. By integrating national rail systems, rail should become more competitive, ultimately allowing transport to become more sustainable. Efficient, safe and interoperable rail services need train drivers who can work seamlessly across borders and across operational and language barriers. In the absence of an EU-wide certification scheme, however ...

The European Commission work programmes for 2021 and 2022 envisaged proposals to revise the core building blocks of the EU's maritime safety legislation, such as the Directives on Port State and Flag State Control, the Directive on Accident Investigations, and the Regulation founding the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). This implementation appraisal starts with a recap of the existing EU policy and legislation on flag States and accident investigations, then reviews and summarises existing ...

Since 2021, the European Commission has been planning to make proposals to revise the core building blocks of the EU maritime safety legislation, such as the Directives on Port State Control and Flag State Control, the Directive on Accident Investigations and the Regulation Founding the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). This implementation appraisal starts with a recap on the existing EU port state control policy and legislation and then reviews and summarises existing evaluations and discussions ...