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The European Commission has proposed drawing vessels between 400 and 5,000 gross tonnage into the EU Emissions Trading System, a targeted expansion that shipowners have broadly welcomed while pressing Brussels for firmer commitments on where the money goes. The draft forms part of a wider climate policy overhaul and would close several avenues for cost avoidance. Offshore worksites in EU waters would be treated as ports of call, preventing offshore vessels from sidestepping E

Ford has agreed a Europe-focused manufacturing joint venture with Geely Auto at its Valencia plant, in a deal that hands a Chinese carmaker its first European production base and underscores how far the competitive balance has shifted against legacy Western manufacturers. The venture, announced in Valencia on Thursday, will be 66 per cent owned by Ford and 34 per cent by Geely, subject to regulatory approval, with operations beginning in the first half of 2027 and vehicles ro

Hungary has unveiled one of the largest railway investment programmes in its history, committing HUF 3,550 billion to modernising the national network by 2035, in a signal that European governments are treating rail infrastructure as strategic capital expenditure rather than discretionary transport spending. Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy presented the Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan at Rákospalota-Újpest station in Budape

Brussels is preparing to tighten scrutiny of who really controls Europe's airlines, a move that has wiped billions from easyJet's valuation and injected fresh uncertainty into the largest private equity approach the sector has seen. An EU official confirmed the European Commission will conduct a review, likely in the autumn, clarifying which corporate structures satisfy rules requiring carriers holding EU operating licences to be majority owned and effectively controlled by E

Volkswagen is preparing what could be the largest restructuring in automotive history, with chief executive Oliver Blume said to be assessing the closure of four German plants and the elimination of as many as 100,000 jobs as Europe's biggest carmaker struggles against Chinese rivals and shrinking margins. The proposals, presented to senior management last week and to be discussed by the supervisory board on 9 July, would shutter sites at Hanover, Zwickau, Emden and Audi's Ne

Europe's drive to double high-speed rail traffic by 2040 is colliding with an uncomfortable arithmetic problem, and the industry is increasingly looking to private finance to close the gap. The European Commission has estimated that completing the trans-European high-speed network by 2040 will cost around €345 billion, a figure that climbs towards €546 billion under more ambitious scenarios involving speeds of 250 km/h or higher. Set against constrained national budgets and c

British forces boarded and detained a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel on Sunday, in what the Ministry of Defence described as the first operation of its kind led by the UK, marking a significant escalation in European efforts to choke off the Kremlin's sanctions-evading oil trade. Royal Marine commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the vessel during a six-hour operation, supported by Ch

A coalition of European Union transport ministers has urged the European Commission to draw up a dedicated industrial strategy for the bloc's rail supply sector, sharpening the contest over how Brussels protects strategic manufacturing from foreign competition. The initiative, led by Austria and backed by Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Romania, was tabled during this week's Transport Council. Ministers called for a comprehensive Euro

European importers are confronting a fresh squeeze on supply chains as container freight rates from Asia spike at the fastest pace in a year, driven by the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz and an unusually early start to the peak shipping season. The spot rate for a 40-foot container to northern Europe from Asia reached $3,649 in the week to 5 June, a 27 per cent jump on the previous week, according to Oslo-based freight platform Xeneta. Charges on Europe-bound boxes

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

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

Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched a new Europe to Red Sea container service designed to keep European cargo flowing to Gulf markets without transit through the Strait of Hormuz, in the clearest sign yet that liner operators are rewiring their networks around the Iranian chokepoint. The first vessel on the Europe, Red Sea and Middle East Express sailed from Antwerp on 10 May under voyage OC619 A, the Geneva-based carrier confirmed. The eastbound rotation calls at Gda