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The European Union has formally opened its airspace to American-grade jet fuel, a regulatory concession that underscores how deeply the Iran conflict has destabilised the continent's aviation supply chain ahead of the peak summer season. In guidance issued by the European Commission and the EU Aviation Safety Agency, regulators confirmed there are no legal obstacles to using imported Jet A fuel, provided the switch is carefully managed across the supply chain. The move addres

Europe's reliance on Russian gas has deepened to a record this year, an awkward consequence of the energy shock unleashed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and one that exposes the limits of the bloc's sanctions architecture. The European Union imported 6.69mn tonnes of liquefied natural gas from Russia's Arctic Yamal project between January and April, the highest first-four-month total since exports began in 2017 and 17.2 per cent above the same period last year, accord

The European Union's retreat from a hard 2035 combustion-engine cutoff is gathering momentum in Parliament, handing the bloc's beleaguered carmakers a tactical win while reigniting a fight over the credibility of the green transition. The European Parliament rapporteur's report on the review of the CO2 regulation for cars and vans, published on 12 May, was welcomed by the manufacturers' association ACEA as a move toward a more balanced and technology-neutral framework. It bui

The European Commission has fired the opening shot in a long-delayed effort to dismantle one of the single market's stubbornest barriers: the inability to buy a cross-border train journey on a single ticket. On 13 May the Commission tabled a Passenger Package of three legislative proposals, comprising a regulation on rail ticketing, a regulation on multimodal booking that repeals the 2009 computerised reservation rules, and a revision of the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation.

France has unveiled an emergency aid package for its airlines as soaring jet fuel costs and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz force European carriers into the deepest summer schedule cuts since the pandemic. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot confirmed last week that the government would defer social security contributions, extend tax payment deadlines, and grant carriers greater flexibility over fuel allowances to reduce direct operating costs. The measures follow a 6 May

European shipping operators are confronting their toughest cost environment in a generation, as the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz compounds the final phase-in of the EU Emissions Trading System. Bunker fuel prices in Singapore, the industry's largest refuelling hub, have climbed above $800 per tonne, up from roughly $500 before Iran shut the strait on 4 March, according to commodity site OilPrice. The European Federation for Transport and Environment estimated the

The families that control Volkswagen demanded a fundamental overhaul of Europe's largest carmaker on Wednesday, after first-quarter weakness at the Wolfsburg group dragged the Porsche-Piech holding company to a €923mn loss. Porsche SE, which owns 31.9 per cent of Volkswagen and controls 53.3 per cent of its voting rights, posted adjusted profit after tax of €382mn for January to March, down 21 per cent year on year. A €1.3bn non-cash writedown hit the unadjusted result on the

Brussels has set out the most far-reaching overhaul of European rail ticketing in more than a decade, proposing rules that would force operators to offer single-ticket bookings for journeys spanning multiple carriers and borders. The European Commission's "Passenger Package", unveiled on 13 May, bundles three legislative proposals: a regulation on rail ticketing, a regulation on multimodal booking, and a revision of existing rail passenger rights rules. The reforms, champione

Lufthansa Group has moved to take majority control of ITA Airways, exercising an option to acquire an additional 49 per cent of the Italian flag carrier for €325 million and lifting its overall holding to 90 per cent. The German group, Europe's largest airline operator by passenger numbers, said on Tuesday that the deal had been approved by its supervisory board on Monday and was announced at its annual general meeting in Frankfurt. The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance

Maersk has warned that the war in Iran is adding nearly $500 million a month to its fuel bill, exposing the depth of European shipping's exposure to an energy shock that the Danish carrier said will persist long after any ceasefire is struck. The Copenhagen-listed group, widely regarded as a bellwether for global trade, reported first-quarter EBITDA of $1.75 billion last week, ahead of analyst expectations of $1.66 billion. Revenue slipped 2.6 per cent year on year to $13 bil

European Economic Area nations and Switzerland have committed nearly €200bn to building out the continent's electric vehicle ecosystem, fresh data shows, underlining the scale of the bloc's effort to wrestle battery supremacy back from China and shore up its strategic autonomy. The figures, published on 11 May by research group New Automotive, capture investments stretching across the battery supply chain, manufacturing plants and charging infrastructure. Some €109bn has been

Europe's rail supply industry has called on the European Union to ring-fence proceeds from its emissions trading system to help finance an estimated €546bn expansion of the bloc's high-speed network, in the latest sign that European policymakers are struggling to close a yawning gap between climate ambition and infrastructure funding. UNIFE, the Brussels-based association representing manufacturers including Alstom, Siemens Mobility and Stadler, published its financing propos