Europe Regional Overview

Countries in Europe have shown broad diversity in both transport demand and associated emissions, with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing dramatic changes to urban areas and beyond. The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had a large impact on the region, with far-reaching effects on energy prices in particular. Governments have responded to these major events with several key developments. Due largely to the effects of the pandemic, the region has seen striking shifts in the modal split since 2020. While the motorisation rate has increased greatly in some countries, it has declined in others. Active travel has grown strongly in many cities, while the use of public transport has mostly decreased. Overall, the number of registered passenger cars has continued to rise, maintaining a heavy reliance on fossil-fuelled vehicles in most places, although electric vehicles grew five-fold between 2018 and 2021. Concerted policy action in European countries and by the European Union (EU) has focused on decarbonising transport since 2020, as demonstrated by the European Green Deal, which targets a 90% reduction in EU transport sector emissions by 2050. A number of policies have focused on making mobility smarter, more resilient, and more inclusive, while creating more liveable cities. The region advanced efforts to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, and the EU set the world’s most ambitious regional climate targets for 2030, which will require far more rapid progress than occurred by 2023. Emissions from road transport are projected to continue to decline to 2050, although emissions from other transport modes are expected to remain stable or increase without further measures.