Newsroom

As of 2 April 2026, the energy shortage is worsening across multiple fronts, with diesel bearing the heaviest impact, forcing governments to take action. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

The revised Package Travel Directive updates the definition of package travel and clarifies travellers’ rights while introducing changes that will directly affect how coach services are organised, contracted and reimbursed within package tours.

IRU welcomes the adoption of the EU Talent Pool as a step towards addressing labour shortages, including in road transport, but stresses that it must be accompanied by concrete measures to deliver results.

The war is entering its fifth week. A fragile diplomatic window has opened, but with no ceasefire in sight, energy markets remain tense. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

As the fuel market crisis intensifies across the EU, IRU has urged its transport ministers to take immediate and coordinated EU-level action to keep supply chains moving and protect people’s mobility.

As of 20 March 2026, attacks on critical energy hubs have pushed global oil and fuel prices higher. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

As of 13 March 2026, global oil and fuel prices continue to rise. Here is the latest overview for the road transport sector.

In the second part of this series on the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035), IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto outlines clear actions to materialise tangible results. For a historical overview of sustainable road transport and joint IRU-UN initiatives, see the first part of this series.

IRU, the world road transport organisation, urges governments to immediately release oil reserves to curb rising commercial road transport fuel prices.

As of 5 March 2026, global oil and fuel prices are trending upwards, driven by geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions in the Middle East. Here is an overview.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women entrepreneurs and business leaders whose influence extends beyond their own careers, women whose vision and courage open doors for others and help shape an entire industry.

As the EU road transport sector accelerates its green and digital transition, the spotlight is increasingly on the people who will make it work on the ground. That was the message from a week of IRU discussions in Brussels, where EU policymakers, industry leaders and operators gathered to focus on one priority: how to align skills, technology and regulatory frameworks to deliver the transition.

IRU welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act but warns that the transport dimension, the backbone of EU mobility and industrial supply chains, remains underrepresented.

Coach mobility must be fully integrated into the EU’s future tourism framework if the bloc is to strengthen competitiveness, sustainability and resilience, IRU stressed at high-level discussions in Brussels.

The European Commission has published a comprehensive study conducted by IRU on the recruitment and integration of professional bus and truck drivers from third countries into the EU labour market.

With robotaxi deployment moving steadily towards commercial reality, bringing the taxi sector into sharp focus across global mobility markets, IRU presented the EU’s automation framework at an international taxi summit in Vienna.

The EUR 3 billion ETS2 Frontloading Facility is a welcome development. However, without explicit prioritisation, commercial road transport risks being left without the predictable support it needs to decarbonise.

IRU brought together policymakers and the industry to clarify how EU driving and rest time rules apply as electric fleets scale up.

IRU, the world road transport organisation, and the International Transport Forum (ITF) have signed a new cooperation agreement ahead of the ITF 2026 Summit, fuelling their long-standing partnership.

Diesel VAT rates range from 8.1% to 27% in Europe – and 17 European countries apply a CO2-based component to their diesel tax. Our latest Intelligence Monitoring details the various taxes applied to diesel by country.

IRU, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and T&E urge the European Commission to ensure continuity of EU funding for heavy-duty vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, warning that a break in support in 2026–2027 would risk slowing the deployment of zero-emission vehicles.

The EU road transport community made significant gains in 2025. In close cooperation with its members, operators and policymakers, IRU helped drive progress on several major EU files, grounded in on-the-ground realities.

As the European Commission is expected to present its Automotive Package  tomorrow, as announced, IRU and its partner associations, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services (CLECAT), and the European Shippers’ Council (ESC), will bring together leading Members of the European Parliament and industry stakeholders in Strasbourg tomorrow to discuss solutions, showcase progress, and ensure that fleet decarbonisation ambitions are grounded in operational real

IRU called for a grounded and immediate approach to sustainable transport at the launch of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026–2035 in New York.

The UNFCCC, COP30 Presidency, and Brazilian Ministry of Transport’s joint statement released yesterday at the launch of the UN Decade for Sustainable Transport puts the pivotal role of road transport in achieving COP30 goals and the Decade’s implementation activities firmly in the spotlight. It calls for the implementation of UN transport conventions, international cooperation, and the deployment of skills development tools to accelerate the transition to sustainable practices and technologies.

From airports to UNESCO sites and cruise terminals to congress halls, buses and coaches are the invisible infrastructure keeping Europe’s tourism moving. Their contribution – millions of passengers carried, billions in economic impact, and essential support to sustainability and cohesion – makes them irreplaceable. As the EU shapes the future of tourism policy, one truth is clear: there is no sustainable tourism without buses and coaches, argues CONFEBUS Director Jaime Rodríguez in this guest ar

IRU welcomes the European Commission’s European Grids Package and Energy Highways initiative as an important first step towards modernising the electricity system. But the essential operational enablers for the electrification of commercial road transport are still missing.

IRU, the world road transport organisation, has awarded its prestigious 2025 Diploma of Honour to 1,077 exceptional bus, coach, taxi and truck drivers.

IRU and EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas today discussed how upcoming transport measures align with day-to-day operational realities across the sector.

At this year’s SOLUTRANS exhibition in Lyon, France, IRU put the spotlight on two pressing challenges facing road transport: the shortage of drivers and the road to net-zero.

The new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks at the port of Dover in south-east England have created a new route, new passenger procedures, and a sealed onward flow. To support operators, IRU’s passenger transport member in the UK, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), has released a concise video guide.

IRU has formally conveyed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen the united and peaceful protest of 5,302 transport operators and shippers from across the EU. They have signed an online petition opposing the Commission’s intention to introduce mandatory zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) purchasing targets.

World Sustainable Transport Day, celebrated every year on 26 November, takes on special significance this year as we count down to the new UN Decade of Sustainable Transport.

IRU welcomes the European Commission and High Representative’s new Military Mobility Package and calls for practical civil and military cooperation to keep the EU’s transport network strong and ready.

Road safety is a huge challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa, for private road users and the commercial road transport sector alike. How can government reforms and actions help? We asked an expert from the region.