Road transport
Discover what the EU is doing to make road transport more competitive, greener and safer.
Sustainable and interconnected road transport
Road transport plays a vital role in moving people and goods throughout Europe, but it also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Cars alone account for 12% of all EU emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).
The EU has undertaken several initiatives to make transport greener. The aim is to balance accessibility with environmental responsibility.
Cars and vans: CO2 emission standards
In March 2023, the Council adopted new rules to further reduce CO2 emissions from new cars and vans, revising the 2019 EU regulation.
The revised rules set targets for progressively cutting emissions. Between 2030 and 2034, emissions will have to be reduced by 55% for new cars and by 50% for new vans compared to the 2021 targets.
From 2035, all new cars and vans will have to be zero-emission vehicles.
- ‘Fit for 55’: Council adopts regulation on CO2 emissions for new cars and vans (press release, 28 March 2023)
- CO2 emissions in cars: Council gives final approval to additional flexibility for carmakers (press release, 27 May 2025)
In December 2025, the European Commission submitted a proposal on revising CO2 emission standards for cars and vans. The proposal aims for a more flexible and technology-neutral approach while maintaining the course towards climate neutrality. Member states are currently examining the proposal.
Trucks and buses: CO2 emission standards
The Council adopted new rules to strengthen emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles in May 2024. The regulation updates the 2019 rules to help the EU achieve its ambitions in fighting climate change.
The regulation aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the road transport sector in line with the EU’s climate goals by raising the emission reduction target for 2030 (-45%) and introducing new targets for 2035 (-65%) and 2040 (-90%).
The rules expand the scope of the previous regulation to make almost all new heavy-duty vehicles with certified CO₂ emissions – including smaller trucks, urban buses, coaches and trailers – subject to emission reduction targets.
Under the new rules, all new urban buses will have to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Long-distance buses and coaches will remain subject to the overall targets.
In March 2026 the Council formally adopted a targeted amendment to the regulation on CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The new rules introduce a temporary flexibility for manufacturers to comply with their 2030 CO2 emission reduction targets. The amendment does not alter the substance of the long-term reduction targets.
- Heavy-duty vehicles: Council adopts targeted flexibility for manufacturers to comply with CO2 targets (press release, 30 March 2026)
- Heavy-duty vehicles: Council signs off on stricter CO2 emission standards (press release, 13 May 2024)
Euro 7
In addition to setting emission standards for vehicles, the EU has also adopted rules to lower emissions of other air pollutants from road transport.
The Euro 7 regulation sets rules for emissions that supplement the abovementioned CO2 limits and also cover other polluting elements. These include pollution from tyre abrasion, brakes and batteries.
The rules cover cars, vans and heavy-duty vehicles in a single legal act.
The Council adopted the new regulation in April 2024.
Road charging
EU legislation sets rules for charging heavy-duty vehicles for the use of certain road infrastructure in member states.
In November 2021, the Council gave the green light for a revision of these rules, which are referred to collectively as the Eurovignette directive. The revised law aims to favour greener and more efficient transport, and it includes a new scheme to address CO2 emissions, in order to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint in line with the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement.
The directive entered into force in March 2022.
In June 2026, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on targeted amendments to the Eurovignette directive. These seek to provide greater clarity on how to apply CO₂-based charging rules, particularly in the light of the new CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, taking effect on 1 July 2026.
The changes aim to support a smooth transition to a road toll system that better reflects vehicle emissions, while ensuring more harmonised application of the rules across the member states.
Alternative fuels infrastructure
The alternative fuels infrastructure regulation (AFIR) aims to ensure EU-wide deployment of publicly accessible electric recharging and alternative fuels refuelling infrastructure in the road transport, aviation and waterborne transport sectors.
The rules set targets for the deployment of recharging and refuelling stations. This includes ensuring that there are recharging stations at least every 60 kilometres on main roads. The Council adopted the regulation in July 2023.
Fit for 55: towards more sustainable transport (infographic)
Recycling of vehicles at the end of their life
In June 2026, the Council formally adopted the regulation concerning circularity requirements for vehicle design and the management of end-of-life vehicles. The new regulation introduces circularity requirements throughout vehicles’ entire life cycle, from design and production to their end-of-life treatment.
Producers will be made financially and organisationally responsible for the entire lifecycle of their vehicles, including at the point they become waste.
The regulation also bans the export of used vehicles that are no longer roadworthy, ensuring that the EU meets its commitments to retain valuable materials within its territory and not to contribute to pollution in third countries.
Amendment of the directive on weights and dimensions
In December 2025 the Council adopted a position that amends the directive laying down maximum authorised dimensions and weights for certain road vehicles. The directive sets the rules for the maximum allowable weight and dimensions of vehicles used in road transport in the EU.
The amendment aims at modernising the current rules, reflecting technological advancements, including the uptake of cleaner zero-emission vehicles. It includes incentives for the road transport sector to invest in zero-emission technologies, particularly allowing compensation for the added weight because of these technologies.
Road safety
Despite significant progress in recent decades, over 20 000 people still lose their lives on EU roads each year. The EU aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 and to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
One of the means of reaching this goal is the road safety package, proposed by the European Commission in March 2023. It consists of revisions of three legislative proposals:
- the directive on driving licences
- the directive on the Union-wide effect of driving disqualifications
- the directive on the cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences
Revised driving licence directive for better-prepared and -assessed drivers
In March 2025, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on updating the driving licence directive. The aim is to enhance road safety by ensuring drivers are better prepared and assessed.
The revision includes:
- a uniform mobile driving licence by the end of 2030
- a harmonised probationary period for novice drivers in all member states
- an accompanied driving scheme for young drivers with a (C) licence
- a step towards harmonising medical screening when issuing driving licences
The directive will now be checked for legal and language issues, after which it will be formally adopted by the Council and the European Parliament. Once published in the Official Journal of the EU, member states will have 30 months to incorporate the new rules into their national laws.
Driving disqualifications directive to ensure that serious traffic offenders face consequences
On 25 March 2025, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on better enforcing driving disqualifications (driving bans or suspensions) across the Union.
This initiative aims to ensure that serious traffic offenders are held accountable throughout the EU, regardless of where an offence was committed. Currently, if a driver commits a serious traffic violation in a member state other than the one that issued their licence, their disqualification often applies only in the country where the offence occurred.
Main elements of the initiative:
- member states must enforce each other’s driving disqualifications for serious offences (such as drink-driving or causing death or serious injury)
- disqualifications of over three months must be reported between member states using a standardised form
- in the event of disqualification in a member state other than that which issued the licence, the licence-issuing country must apply the same disqualification (with a few exceptions)
- all data will be shared via the secure RESPER system (the EU network enabling the exchange of driving licence information)
Sharing information about traffic offences affecting road safety
On 16 December 2024, following provisional political agreement with the European Parliament in March 2024, the Council of the EU adopted the revision of the 2015 directive on the cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences. The initiative aims to improve road safety by making sure that non-resident drivers are held accountable for traffic violations committed in EU member states. The proposal:
- expands the list of offences that are covered by the directive, to include dangerous overtaking, wrong-way driving and hit-and-run incidents
- improves cooperation between national authorities
- better protects drivers’ rights (e.g. through safeguards to prevent misuse of personal data)
- enhances notification and payment mechanisms (ensuring that offenders receive notifications in their own language and are able to pay fines more easily)
Member states are required to transpose the provisions of the revised directive into their national legislation within 30 months of its entry into force.
Roadworthiness package
In December 2025 the Council adopted a position on the roadworthiness package. The package puts forward a comprehensive update of EU standards with regards to road safety inspections of vehicles and rules with regards to their registration. It has the objective to further improve road safety in the EU by for example:
- ensuring the consistency, objectivity and quality of roadworthiness testing
- reducing tampering and improving the detection of defective vehicles, as well as tampered odometers
More on other modes of transport
Read about EU policies on air, rail and maritime transport.
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Last review: 30 June 2026