June 12, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a new agency to make recommendations to the health sector in the European Region. The ‘Pan-European Committee on Climate and Health’ (PECCH), as the new organization is called, will offer pragmatic and cost-effective health sector solutions to address climate change. Former Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir will chair the PECCH. […]
June 12, 2025
Hasselt University (UHasselt) and its project partners, Cegeka, OCW, Vlawebo, and Embuild Limburg, are investigating how innovative technologies can ensure better roads, safer traffic, and more sustainable mobility. They experiment with digital solutions in real-life situations, in an innovative test garden. The pilot project will use various locations in Limburg as test areas. Digital innovations “The […]
June 11, 2025
Belgian energy grid company Fluvius expects to invest approximately €200 million more in its medium-voltage networks over the next few years, as the industry is electrifying faster than anticipated. Fluvius expects companies to cause more peak loads than previously thought, as they are switching more quickly from fossil fuels to electricity in their production processes, […]
June 10, 2025
The part of the energy island in direct current, the costs of which have become excessive, will be scrapped. This will make a considerable saving possible. The costs had increased dramatically, from 2.12 billion euros to 7 to 8 billion euros as a result of the rapidly growing demand for direct current stations and cables. Saving […]
May 16, 2025
Planet Earth is heading for more than 1.5 degrees of global warming. A disturbing new calculation shows that the rate of warming is now twice as fast as it was at the end of the 20th century. The climate goal the world set itself ten years ago in Paris was to limit global warming to […]
May 15, 2025
Energy provider Engie started working on a second battery park in Kallo (East Flanders) this week after building one in Vilvoorde. Federal Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR), Mayor of Beveren, Marc Van de Vijver (CD&V), and Engie Belgium CEO, Vincent Verbeke, gave a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony in Kallo on Wednesday. Engie wants to respond to […]
May 14, 2025
Good news for future drivers: all applications for a category B driver’s licence—including the definitive driver’s licence—can now be made online. The Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport announced this on Tuesday. Applications are processed via the BelDrive online platform. The initiative results from a collaboration between the Belgian authorities to provide a user-friendly and reliable […]
May 13, 2025
The Danish capital, Copenhagen, wants to raise tourists’ awareness of the need to travel more sustainably. This summer, the city will again use generous incentives to encourage guests to travel and sightsee more sustainably. In response to the climate crisis and general world overtourism, last year’s CopenPay campaign will be extended with more discount offers and […]
May 09, 2025
According to the latest accident figures, 266 severe accidents with injuries occur annually in Flanders during road works on regional roads and highways–an average of five accidents at a construction site every week. Six of them are fatal. Most accidents happen in traffic jams before the construction sites or when driving past them. The ‘Rij […]
May 08, 2025
Global methane emissions from fossil fuels remain extremely high, while a significant portion could be avoided. Measures to tackle methane emissions are often very cost-effective and could have brought an extra 100 billion cubic meters of gas to market in 2024, the IEA’s Global Tracker shows. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), one-third of […]
May 08, 2025
April 2025 was the second warmest April globally, with an average ERA5 surface air temperature of 14.96°C. Last month, global temperature was 1.51°C above the estimated 1850-1900 average used to define pre-industrial levels. These are some of the conclusions the Copernicus Climate Change Service published in its latest monthly climate bulletin. The average temperature over […]
May 07, 2025
In April, the number of registrations of new speed pedelecs increased slightly by +0.3% to 1,150 units, and more growth is emerging thanks to additional registrations by federal civil servants and education staff. “The wider access to bicycle leasing for government staff will have an even more positive impact on the figures in the coming […]
May 06, 2025
The popular self-driving shuttles at the Terhills tourist site in Dilsen-Stokkem and Maasmechelen will disappear from May 26th. The reason? The French technology supplier Easymile, responsible for vehicle production, maintenance, and safety, is stopping its shuttle projects for financial reasons. The ‘Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij’ (LRM) and its partners, responsible for operating the shuttles, will investigate […]
May 06, 2025
The used car market continues to grow, with 63,710 registrations in April (+1.8%, and +18.7% compared with April 2023). This steady growth underlines the market’s resilience, which is supported by continued demand from private individuals. The used car market represents 90.4% registrations by private individuals, who often do not have the means to purchase an expensive […]
April 24, 2025
How can Belgium become climate-neutral by 2050 without driving industry out? Research institute VITO/EnergyVille formulated an answer: “The most expensive option is to do nothing.” Vito/EnergyVille launched a study and joined forces with several major players in the Belgian energy market: grid operators Elia and Fluxys, major consumers such as BASF and ArcelorMittal, and producer Luminus. With […]
April 23, 2025
Today, mobility platform Bolt celebrates the third anniversary of its taxi booking service in Belgium. Bolt was launched in February 2022 and now offers its service in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Namur, and more. Three years after it arrived in Belgium, Bolt draws a very positive balance that reflects the image of urban mobility in […]
April 22, 2025
Federal Public Service (FPS) Justice’s figures show that almost half a million more traffic violations were recorded last year than in 2023. The number of violations recorded increased from 6.5 million in 2023 to more than 6.9 million last year (+7%). In 2022, the number was still 6.2 million. The total amount of fines collected represents […]
April 18, 2025
The US government has stopped the construction of the Empire 1 wind farm on New York’s coast, even though the $5 billion project has the necessary permits. The Trump administration strongly opposes offshore wind farms. According to Donald Trump, “They are dangerous to birds and whales.” Norwegian Equinor’s project The Empire 1 wind farm is […]
April 17, 2025
According to the Central Bureau for Statistics (Centraal Bureeau voor de Statistiek, CBS), in the Netherlands, 675 people died in a traffic accident last year, among them 246 cyclists. Almost half of them (44%) rode an electric bicycle, and most (60%) died from head injuries. Cyclists form the largest group of road fatalities. It mainly […]
April 17, 2025
In Northern California, hackers have manipulated pedestrian lights’ audio to mock Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg. Instead of the usual ‘walk’ or ‘wait’ audio instructions that emanate from the crosswalk speakers, pedestrians hear seemingly deepfake recordings, mocking some of the titans who preside over the tech world. A series of viral videos posted […]
April 15, 2025
Globally, 2024 was the warmest year on record and the first with an average temperature exceeding 1.5°C above the pre‑industrial level. The last ten years have been the warmest ten years on record. This is stated in the Copernicus European State of the Climate Summary 2024, compiled by the European climate service Copernicus and the […]
April 14, 2025
The member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the maritime branch of the United Nations, reached an agreement on Friday on greening shipping. The deal involves a standard to limit the use of fossil fuels and a price mechanism for companies that do not meet the imposed standards. Ships will have to emit 30 […]
April 14, 2025
In a radiation protection study commissioned by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV), all electric cars analyzed complied with the recommendations for protection against the health effects of magnetic fields. According to the researchers, people are not generally exposed to stronger magnetic fields in […]
April 10, 2025
On Wednesday, Belgian maritime contractor Deme announced that it has agreed to acquire Havfram, a Norwegian company that provides transport and installation services for offshore wind farms. The deal is worth approximately 900 million euros and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2025. Oslo-based Havfram owns and operates vessels for installing […]
April 09, 2025
Sortbat, a subsidiary of Bebat, a Belgian non-profit association that processes used batteries, is acquiring the Norwegian Høyenergi. Together, they want to strengthen Belgium and Norway’s position in managing large batteries, including those of electric vehicles, maritime applications, and energy storage systems. This acquisition anticipates the increasing amount of end-of-life batteries in Europe. The global […]
April 08, 2025
According to the International Energy Agency’s latest report, transport in Germany is a significant obstacle to the country’s green energy transition, still accounting for 95% of all transport emissions. IEA experts identified transport as “the largest emitting sector in Germany” and thus a key area for additional focus. The IEA report highlights how Germany has […]
April 07, 2025
This year, Limburg celebrates the 30th anniversary of the cycle route network—one of the province’s main attractions. Recent research by Visit Limburg confirms that cycling in Limburg is popular not only with the Limburgers themselves but also with cyclists from far beyond the provincial borders. Visit Limburg’s study shows that 90% of cyclists are delighted […]
April 07, 2025
According to charging station operator MobilityPlus, a quarter of all employees with an electric car hardly ever charge their company car at home. Nevertheless, employees with electric company cars usually have a charging station at home. But most fear that charging at home will drive up their energy bill. MobilityPlus discovered that 26 percent of […]
April 07, 2025
In March 2025, 40,184 new passenger cars were registered –10% fewer than in the same month last year. The decline continued throughout the first quarter, from -13% in January to -8.1% in February. It is striking that the share of private buyers in the first quarter was approximately 10% higher than last year, possibly due […]
April 04, 2025
The Antwerp shipping company, Flandria, has a new attraction: the Oosterweel Cruise. From April 12th, the Easter holidays, tourists can register for a boat trip along the Oosterweel works, often called “the largest road project of the century.” The tour lasts three hours, and visitors are guided via the Asiadok and the Royersluis to the […]
April 03, 2025
The almost free subscriptions the previous Walloon government introduced for public transport were not an unqualified success. More season tickets were sold, but validation on the buses and trams decreased. “If this price reduction does not encourage the use of public transport, where is the problem?” Minister of Mobility, François Desquesnes (Les Engagés), wonders. The […]
April 02, 2025
After Bstor launched a new battery park in La Louvière at the beginning of this year, the battery project developer has started constructing its third and largest battery park, ‘Estor-Lux II,’ in Aubange, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. Bstor is 40 percent owned by the listed Antwerp holding company Ackermans & van Haaren. In […]
April 02, 2025
National railway company NMBS/SNCB is not responding to the request from traveler interest group TreinTramBus to compensate season ticket holders for the many strikes of the past weeks with a ‘Sorry Pass.’ TreinTramBus had requested railway company NMBS/SNCB to compensate season ticket holders for February and March with a Sorry Pass for all the recent […]
March 31, 2025
A team of researchers with the Belgian professor Sebastiaan van de Velde as the lead author, reported that certain commercial activities damage the sea floors and disrupt the ocean’s natural carbon capture capacity. They also emphasized the need better to assess this “hidden emission” of greenhouse gases. The oceans play a crucial role in regulating […]
March 28, 2025
The entrance to the new Antwerp Scheldt tunnel on the left bank is ready. It is a colossus of 85,000 m³ of concrete and 19,000 tons of steel. After more than three years of preparation and intensive construction work, the essential parts of the Scheldt Tunnel are ready. Everything is prepared now to place the […]
March 27, 2025
Poppy Mobility, D’Ieteren’s provider of shared mobility services in Antwerp, Brussels, and Belgian airports, plans to install smoke detectors in its cars to combat cigarette smell. Poppy wants to prevent smoking in its cars. The company’s goal is clear: to keep their fleet fresh and clean for everyone. “When smoke is detected, the system will […]
March 27, 2025
The European Commission has selected 47 strategic projects in 13 member states to strengthen the extraction, processing, and recycling of key raw materials in the European Union. The support should make the EU less dependent on rare earth metals from China. “We must avoid becoming as dependent on Chinese lithium for rechargeable batteries as we […]
March 26, 2025
By the end of 2030, a uniform digital mobile driver’s license will be recognized in all Member States. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Member States agreed on this during the night from Monday to Tuesday. Why a digital driver’s license? There are currently more than a hundred types of driver’s licenses in […]
March 25, 2025
Paris residents voted in a referendum on Sunday to make hundreds of streets car-free. With this measure, the left-wing city council wants to reduce car use further, improve air quality, and increase the quality of life in the French capital. However, turnout was low: barely 4% of the 1.4 million residents bothered to vote. Two-thirds […]
March 25, 2025
On May 27th, Hasselt University will award an honorary doctorate to Hugo Bollen, the inventor of the walking and cycling node network. Hugo Bollen, a former engineer at the Kempen Coal Mines (Kempische Steenkoolmijnen), came up with the now widespread cycling and walking junction network years ago. The doctorate is a recognition of his essential […]
March 24, 2025
According to the Progress Report on the Programmatic Approach to Nitrogen, nitrogen oxide emissions in Flanders have fallen by 35 percent between 2015 and 2022, and ammonia emissions have fallen by 9 percent in those seven years. Environment Minister Jo Brouns presented the report on Friday, March 21st. Nitrogen oxides (80%) mainly come from the […]
March 21, 2025
The European Union and Belgium have made a clear commitment to climate neutrality to achieve the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. However, achieving this objective will require significant investments, leading to a profound transformation of our society. According to a new report from the Federal Climate Change Service in collaboration with the Study Committee […]
March 21, 2025
North Sea Port, the cross-border port area between Vlissingen (the Netherlands) and Ghent (Belgium), has installed a new jetty with shore power. Ships arriving in Ghent must now dock here. With this investment, North Sea Port strengthens its position as a European sustainable port. The sustainable jetty, located at the head of the Grootdok, is […]
March 20, 2025
Four scientists from KU Leuven, the University of Ghent, and Transport and Mobility Leuven have concluded that it makes no sense to choose the train instead of the plane for trips within the European Union to emit less CO2. Due to the European emission ceilings, someone else will emit the saved CO2 anyway. The Emission […]
March 19, 2025
“Working on better sidewalks with Stapscore,” a project to improve the quality of sidewalks in Flanders, has won the Flemish Road Safety Award 2025. The winner was announced on Tuesday at the annual road safety conference organized by the Flemish Foundation for Road Safety (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde, VSV). The award is presented to projects […]
March 18, 2025
According to Vias Institute’s latest road safety barometer, based on police data, the number of accidents with injuries in Belgium fell slightly in 2024 (-3 %). However, the number of accidents involving electric scooters rose by nine percent, while there was a decline between 2022 and 2023. Last year, the police recorded 1,745 accidents involving […]
March 17, 2025
A recent report indicates that London’s air quality has significantly improved since the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, an area where polluting vehicles are banned or must pay a congestion charge to enter. Annual roadside NO2 concentrations across the capital have been nearly halved (49%) between 2016 and 2023, while preliminary figures indicate London […]
March 17, 2025
Local police teams from the Belgian Borinage region in Henegouwen have caught a motorist who was repeatedly flashed with fake license plates. By analyzing the plates, the police were able to trace the real license plate. They discovered three different license plates at the driver’s home, two of which were fake. It later turned out that […]
March 14, 2025
Since the Covid-19 crisis, there has been a “permanent change in household mobility behavior.” In particular, expenditures on car use have fallen significantly. That is the conclusion of a recent report by the Federal Planning Bureau and the Federal Public Service Mobility. However, there is a big difference between the regions. Households living in Wallonia […]
March 13, 2025
Five years after the coronavirus pandemic, more than eight out of ten companies still allow teleworking. However, more than a third of young employees (33.8%) prefer to work from home more often. In Belgium, half of employers require a physical presence only twice a week or less. The conclusions come from a study by HR […]
March 11, 2025
In 2025, Flanders plans construction works at 43 locations on the highway. Just like last year, much attention will again be paid to renovating bridges, viaducts, and tunnels. Twenty of the 43 construction sites are essential for renewing or replacing bridges or tunnels. The sites with the most significant impact on traffic are in Antwerp, […]
March 10, 2025
The Belgian Federal Public Service for Economy has won a legal battle against the German transport company Flixbus. As part of a European investigation, the economic inspectorate discovered that Flixbus was guilty of various forms of greenwashing on its Belgian website. This is the first time in Belgium that the FPS Economy has obtained a company’s […]
March 07, 2025
The Norwegian Transport Ministry is planning to ask the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to prepare legislation to allow municipalities to establish zero-emission zones (ZEZ). It will give the latter the possibility to reduce emissions and push for cleaner transport. The Administration will specifically look at the technical, legal, and practical aspects. It also stresses that […]
March 06, 2025
A total of 2,310 new speed pedelecs (+were registered in the first two months of 2025. That is an increase of 6.5% compared to the same period in 2024, when 2,169 units were registered. This increase is largely due to the number of leasing contracts, which have increased by 26.6% compared to 2024 – from […]
March 06, 2025
European fast-charging specialist Electra has opened its first operational station in Capellen, Luxembourg, a well-known ‘tank’ stop for Belgian and Dutch drivers heading south on holiday. The company is active in nine European countries—Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria—and has 426 stations and 2,520 charging points. The new charging station […]
March 05, 2025
Last year, fewer bicycles were sold in the Netherlands than in the past ten years. The bicycle market grew steadily between 2016 and 2020, but sales have declined since the peak in the latter year. This is evident from figures from trade organizations Bovag and RAI Association. Sales peaked in 2020 when more than 1.1 million […]
March 05, 2025
In the past month of February, slightly fewer second-hand cars were registered, but noticeably more private individuals were interested in new cars. According to Filip Rylant, spokesperson for Mobility Federation Traxio, “In February, 60,047 used cars were registered, a slight decrease of -0.5% (or 308 units) compared to February 2024, but 6,852 (+12.9%) units more […]
March 04, 2025
According to the NGO Transport and Environment, almost one in two new buses (49%) sold in Europe in 2024 had zero emissions—electric or hydrogen—exceeding the objectives set by the European Union on CO2 standards for buses and making city buses one of the early success stories of the European Green Deal. Fuel cell buses comprised […]
March 03, 2025
More than 500 doctors have called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to uphold the planned 2035 phase-out of combustion engines, warning of serious health risks if the policy is weakened. The doctors criticized efforts to soften carbon dioxide (CO2) emission limits, arguing that delaying the transition would endanger public health. Road traffic […]
March 03, 2025
Commercial lunar lander Blue Ghost 1 from the American space company Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the moon on Sunday. It is the second private lunar lander in history to land on the moon’s surface successfully. Flight controllers in Austin watched as the Blue Ghost descended on the moon’s surface and erupted in cheers as […]
