Newsletters

On 17 December, the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report calling for the removal of remaining barriers to the cross-border movement of military personnel and equipment across the EU, underlining the strategic importance of military mobility in light of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. MEPs stressed that faster and more seamless military movements are essential for European security and defence, particularly for the protection of the EU’s eastern flank.

On 16 December, the European Commission adopted and presented its Automotive Package to the European Parliament. The package aims to support the competitiveness and decarbonisation of Europe’s automotive and transport sectors, including through initiatives on clean mobility, industrial resilience and the greening of corporate fleets.

On 3 December, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cross-border cooperation on transport infrastructure. The initiative aims to improve mobility, facilitate trade flows and support economic cohesion and security across the region.

On 9 December, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) published updated estimates indicating that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production is set to expand more slowly in the coming years than previously anticipated.

The Council and Parliament reached this week a provisional agreement on new regulations for end-of-life vehicles, aimed at improving circularity and sustainability in the automotive sector.

The Parliament and the Council have formally agreed to delay the implementation of the second Emissions Trading System (ETS2), which covers emissions from road transport and buildings, until 2028.

On 12 December 2025, the Council of the EU agreed to introduce a temporary customs duty on low-value e-commerce consignments, a move welcomed by the European Commission as an urgent response to the rapid growth in parcel imports into the EU.

As part of the Union Customs Code (UCC) Work Programme, Member States were required to progressively migrate their national export systems to the so-called EU Automated Export System (AES). The original deadlines marked the final major milestones of the UCC IT reform, replacing legacy national export and exit systems with harmonised EU-wide processes and data models.

On 10 December, the European Commission presented the Energy Grids Package, a set of proposals intended to simplify and shorten permitting procedures for infrastructure projects across the European Union, including electric vehicle charging stations, grid connections and related energy infrastructure.