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Transport is now the EU's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise. While emissions have fallen sharply across much of the economy, transport emissions remain close to their historical highs. Despite a rapid growth of electric vehicles and low-emission fuels and increasing policy attention, transport emissions have declined only modestly since 2005. EU Member States project that domestic transport emissions will meet their 1990 levels in 2030, while aviation and maritime emissions are projected to increase.
Figure 1. Greenhouse gas emissions from transport in Europe
The transport sector continues to account for around 28% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions, making it the EU's largest emitting sector. Reducing emissions is one of the greatest challenges in achieving a sustainable transformation of the EU’s mobility systems, as highlighted in the EEA’s annually updated report on Sustainability of Europe’s mobility systems. The EU’s domestic GHG transport emissions show a weak downward trend since 2005. The most significant drop occurred in 2020 due to effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Estimates for 2025 indicate that transport GHG emissions increased by 0.3% compared with 2024, reaching a preliminary 807 MtCO₂eq, or 28% of total EU emissions.
According to their national emission projections, EU Member States expect a general decrease in transport emissions over the next decades. Projections indicate that currently implemented policies would bring transport emissions back to around their 1990 levels by 2030, while further reductions will depend on the successful implementation of additional planned measures. With additional measures, those emissions would be 13% below 1990 levels. While this represents a significant reversal of the growth observed over recent decades, it also illustrates how much slower progress has been in transport than in many other sectors. The requirements for the projections are established in the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action Regulation.
Most planned EU policies and measures in the transport sector focus on promoting low-carbon fuels or zero-emission technologies, as well as encouraging a modal shift to public transport and active mobility modes. Much of the projected reduction in road transport emissions is linked to the accelerating uptake of electric vehicles, supported by increasingly stringent vehicle CO₂ standards.
Supporting infrastructure will be equally important. The availability of reliable and accessible charging infrastructure remains a key enabler of the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Sustained emission reductions will require both cleaner technologies and supporting infrastructure, alongside broader changes in mobility systems.
Figure 2. Greenhouse gas emissions from transport in the EU, by transport mode and scenario
Road transport constitutes the highest proportion of overall transport emissions. In 2024, it emitted 72% of all EU’s transport GHG emissions (including international bunkers). Road transport is also the transport mode most directly affected by EU climate policies, including CO₂ standards for cars, vans and heavy-duty vehicles and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure.
The greatest increases up to 2030 are projected for aviation and international maritime transport. This is a continuous trend in emissions growth from both activities since 1990. With road transport emissions set to decline, aviation and maritime emissions are therefore expected to constitute a higher proportion of transport sector emissions in the coming years.
The years impacted by Covid-19 were an exception to the trends described above, except for railways. Aviation was particularly affected by the pandemic, with international aviation emissions 58% lower in 2020 than in 2019.