EC approves German scheme to promote modal shift

This piece presents updated insights from a research chapter I authored entitled “China and the European Union: more partners than rivals?” that was published in Routledge’s book “China and Eurasian Powers in a Multipolar World Order 2.0 Security, Diplomacy, Economy and Cyberspace” in March 2023. The article offers a comprehensive analysis of the ever-changing geopolitical dynamics between China and the EU, taking into account the influence of the U.S. approach.

Mobility plays a key role in the EU economy. However, the EU transport sector still relies heavily on fossil fuels and is responsible for one quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — a share that keeps growing. In addition, the sector is a significant source of air pollution despite significant progress achieved since 1990, especially of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), as well as the main source of environmental noise in Europe. Current efforts to limit the sector’s environmental and climate impacts in Europe are not sufficient to meet the EU’s long-term climate and environmental policy objectives.