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Belgian and French forces board the Ethera in a landmark enforcement operation, signalling a harder European line on sanctions evasion In the small hours of 28 February, Belgian special forces rappelled from French Navy helicopters onto the deck of a tanker moving through the North Sea. What followed — the boarding, seizure and escorting of the vessel to the port of Zeebrugge — marked one of the most assertive acts of maritime enforcement Europe has yet taken against Russia's

Airspace closures from Iran to the Gulf leave carriers counting the cost On the flight-tracking screens that aviation operations teams monitor around the clock, the change was immediate and unmistakable. Where one of the world's busiest aviation crossroads once pulsed with traffic — a dense web of routes linking Europe to Asia, the Gulf and Africa — there was, from the last day of February, simply nothing. Coordinated strikes on Iran on 28 February triggered immediate airspac

Europe's largest automaker absorbs the full cost of a failed electric bet Stellantis has recorded the first annual loss in its brief corporate history, reporting a net deficit of €22.3 billion for 2025 — a brutal reversal from the €5.5 billion profit it posted only a year earlier, and a world away from the record earnings that briefly made it the darling of European auto investors. The Amsterdam-headquartered group, which controls fourteen brands including Peugeot, Citroën, F

Europe's rail industry is converging on Utrecht this week for the 16th edition of RailTech Europe, but behind the exhibition stands and panel discussions, a more urgent conversation is taking shape: whether Brussels will commit the funding needed to prevent the continent's rail technology leadership from slipping to China. At the heart of the debate is an 18 billion euro public-private investment proposal put forward by the EU-Rail Joint Undertaking, covering the period from

Europe's largest container lines have suspended all transits through the Strait of Hormuz and reversed course on a long-awaited return to the Red Sea, after the escalation of hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran threw global shipping into its most severe disruption since the Houthi attacks began in late 2023. Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd, Copenhagen's Maersk and France's CMA CGM each confirmed over the weekend that vessels would be rerouted around the Cape of G

Airbus SE is targeting approximately 870 commercial aircraft deliveries this year, a roughly 10 per cent increase over the 793 jets it handed to customers in 2025, as the Toulouse-based manufacturer seeks to return to pre-pandemic production highs despite persistent supply chain constraints. The guidance, issued alongside full-year results on 19 February, signals confidence from chief executive Guillaume Faury that Europe's dominant planemaker can sustain its industrial momen

Europe's faltering bid for battery sovereignty took another damaging turn this month after Automotive Cells Company, the continent's second-largest cell manufacturer, moved to permanently abandon two planned gigafactories — a decision its chief executive described as unavoidable given Brussels' failure to match industrial rhetoric with meaningful support. ACC chief executive Yann Vincent said it would be "totally irresponsible" to proceed with factories in Kaiserslautern, Ger

Trainline, Europe's largest independent rail ticketing platform, saw its shares tumble after chief executive Jody Ford announced his intention to step down, raising questions about leadership continuity at a critical juncture for the FTSE 250-listed group. Shares fell as much as 6.5 per cent to 190p on Wednesday — a four-year low — after the London-based company confirmed Ford would leave following more than six years at the helm. The board has begun a formal search for his s

Europe's shipping industry is absorbing a sharp increase in emissions costs this year as the EU's Emissions Trading System reaches full enforcement, reshaping the economics of every vessel touching the bloc's ports. The EU-ETS has now completed its phased introduction for maritime transport, requiring shipping companies to purchase European Union Allowances covering 100 per cent of their verified emissions, up from 70 per cent in 2025 and 40 per cent in 2024. The step-up alon

Air France-KLM is moving to cement its position as Europe's dominant carrier group, advancing simultaneously on two acquisition fronts that could reshape the continent's competitive landscape before the year is out. The Franco-Dutch group confirmed this month that it plans to raise its stake in SAS Scandinavian Airlines from 19.9 per cent to 60.5 per cent, buying out holdings from private equity firm Castlelake and Danish investor Lind Invest. Subject to European Commission a

BYD Co. is deploying an aggressive discounting strategy across Germany, cutting prices on key models by as much as 41 per cent as China's largest electric vehicle maker escalates its campaign to dislodge established European marques from their home turf. The Shenzhen-based manufacturer has reduced the list price of its Atto 2 Boost plug-in hybrid by €11,500, a direct discount of 29 per cent. When combined with Germany's €4,500 state subsidy for plug-in vehicles, the effective

The world's largest container lines are making an aggressive landside bet. CMA CGM, the French shipping group, is expected to complete its acquisition of Freightliner's UK intermodal division by the end of this month, securing the brand, locomotives, and container-focused operations of one of Britain's most established rail freight operators. Meanwhile, MSC's rail subsidiary Medway is expanding into France with eight new Stadler Euro6000 locomotives and increasing its footpri