Safer transport
The European Union is among the safest regions in the world when it comes to transport. The EU works to ensure transport safety through a combination of legislation, funding, coordination, and technical expertise.
Who deals with transport safety in the EU?
Transport safety is a shared competence: while the EU sets the framework and standards, national authorities implement and enforce the rules. The EU also promotes cooperation and information sharing between countries.
Safety standards set at EU level ensure a consistent approach across the EU. The member states report regularly on safety performance indicators, which allows trends to be tracked, potential problems to be identified and policies to be adjusted accordingly.
Specialised agencies provide technical expertise, collect data and support the implementation of EU rules for each mode of transport. These include:
- European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)
- European Union Agency for Railways (ERA)
- European Road Safety Charter
The EU also provides financial support for safety-related projects through instruments such as the Connecting Europe Facility and Horizon Europe in particular, as well as through the Cohesion Fund.
Transport policies per mode
Discover more about what the EU does on air, rail, road and maritime transport.
Last review: 9 April 2026