Transport and mobility

In 2022, greenhouse gas emissions from transport in the EU were about 26% higher than in 1990. Relative to other economic sectors, transport accounted for about 29% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. Its share is expected to increase further as the decarbonisation of the European economy progresses faster in other sectors, most notably in energy production.

With current and planned policy measures in the EU Member States, greenhouse gas emissions from transport are projected to decrease by about 14% in 2030 and by 37% in 2050, compared with 2022 levels. Stronger efforts are therefore needed to achieve the EU goal of reducing transport emissions by 90% by 2050.

Our indicators show some of the latest trends:

• Average CO₂ emissions from all new cars registered in Europe in 2023 continued to decrease and were 1.4% lower than in 2022, according to provisional data published today by the EEA. Similarly, average CO₂ emissions from new vans continued to fall, and were 1.6% lower than in 2022. The reductions in emissions from new cars and vans are related to the growing share of fully electric vehicles.
• Following six years of steady growth in greenhouse gas emissions from the EU’s transport sector, transport emissions dropped substantially in 2020 because of reduced activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary estimates of emissions in 2021 indicate a rebound of 8.6% in transport, followed by further growth of 2.7% in 2022.
• Emissions of air pollutants from transport have decreased, except for NH₃ and N₂O, in the EU-27 in recent decades, because of policy efforts across several transport modes. Reductions in the road transport sector account for the greatest share of this progress, while emissions from the shipping and aviation sectors increased with some pollutants.
• The share of energy from renewable sources used for transport in the EU increased from under 2% in 2005 to 8.7% in 2022 according to preliminary estimates.
• The number of electric vehicles is growing in Europe, every year. In 2023, Electric vehicles accounted for 22.7% of new car registrations and 7.7% of new van registrations. In total, 2.4 million new electric cars were registered in 2023, up from 2 million in 2022.
• At least 18 million people are highly annoyed and 5 million are highly sleep disturbed by long-term exposure to noise from transport in the EU. 

The European Green Deal aims to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reaching this milestone will involve significant changes in how we power and operate our cars, planes, and ships.

Under the umbrella of the European Green Deal, the EU has adopted and put in place a series of policy packages to achieve a more sustainable mobility system. Some of these initiatives aim at accelerating the transition to cleaner fuels, such as those used in passenger cars and vans, and heavy duty vehicles, or those used in shipping and aviation. The EU has also set concrete targets to ensure that a growing share of the energy used in the transport sector comes from renewable sources.

Other initiatives are aimed at reducing the impacts of transport on human health and the environment. These include action on noise pollution or tackling habitat fragmentation through wildlife crossings.

Overall, the EU must move toward a sustainable mobility system that rethinks how people and goods are transported. This requires a system prioritising public transport, such as rail, and active mobility, such as walking and cycling, into urban design. It also calls for rethinking the need for mobility and, where possible, reducing it, for example through work-from-home schemes.