January 05, 2026
Starting the new year with fireworks? For many people, it is a tradition they would like to maintain. From next year, consumer fireworks will no longer be allowed in the Netherlands, and many Belgian municipalities and cities are also banning them. Every year, there are hundreds of victims, and the damage to houses and cars […]
December 31, 2025
From 1 January 2026, companies in Flanders will no longer be able to apply for purchase support when buying a battery-electric truck. The Flemish Government has decided to remove electric trucks from the so-called ‘Ecologiepremie+’, the main regional investment support scheme for environmentally friendly technologies. The decision comes at a time when the electrification of […]
December 30, 2025
From now on, anyone in France who exceeds the speed limit by 50 km/h or more will no longer receive a simple fine but will be immediately summoned to appear before the criminal court. Just as they would for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they could face a fine of up to […]
December 30, 2025
From 2026 onward, the Netherlands will tighten the fiscal screws on electric cars, steadily dismantling the generous incentives that once made it one of Europe’s most EV-friendly markets and shifting the balance toward countries such as Belgium. The most tangible change affects the motor vehicle tax (MRB). Fully electric passenger cars, which enjoyed a full […]
December 29, 2025
From January 1, the low-emission zone (LEZ) in the Brussels-Capital Region will be tightened. Diesel vehicles with Euro 5 standards and gasoline vehicles with Euro 2 standards will no longer be allowed to enter. Brussels car dealers are noticing this tightening, writes BRUZZ. For example, the banned Euro 5 diesels have become a lot cheaper […]
December 22, 2025
Is it a victory for perseverance or high-profile influence? After two court rejections, Elon Musk has finally won his long-disputed pay-check of $56 billion (€47 billion), which was confirmed to him seven years ago by his majority shareholders. The Delaware Supreme Court has reinstated one of the highest awards for a CEO in automotive history, […]
December 18, 2025
The European Commission is expanding the carbon tax system on imports of steel and aluminum, among other products. This will soon include finished products, such as car parts and washing machines. This will make the border tax somewhat more watertight. The so-called ‘Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism’ (CBAM) or border tax requires companies outside the EU […]
December 18, 2025
It sounds like something out of Kafka, but the Tesla that the Zaventem police purchased six years ago is still standing in the garage and has hardly been driven at all. The reason? There is no registration certificate for Belgium because the documents are stuck with a Dutch leasing company. The car will soon be delivered […]
December 18, 2025
Almost 15% of vehicles on Belgian roads are driving around with unsafe tire combinations. Mobility federation Traxio reached this conclusion based on a survey of 1,000 drivers conducted last summer. The general condition of car tires, however, has improved, Traxio says. The Rolling Wheel study was carried out by the Federtyre (the Belgian federation of tire […]
December 18, 2025
China is moving one step closer to a full ban on automatic flush door handles, which have become a commodity on so many electric cars. Following a series of fatal incidents, in which rescuers were unable to access burning vehicles, Beijing has launched a public consultation on a new set of safety rules. These would […]
December 18, 2025
Wallonia lags behind Flanders and neighboring countries in charging station density. To address this situation, the Walloon government has made two decisions. Firstly, (ultra) fast chargers are now also allowed at motorway parking areas without petrol stations. And secondly, to accelerate the rollout of charging stations, “Électromobilité”, or Electromobility, is being set up, a committee […]
December 17, 2025
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has responded to the European Commission’s decision to postpone the 2035 ICE ban for cars and to weaken van CO2 targets. The lobby group is satisfied with the EU’s direction but wants greater clarity for trucks as soon as possible. For context, the European Commission has announced its ‘Automotive […]
December 16, 2025
Rail freight operator Lineas has been operating at a loss for years. After the Belgian government saved the company from imminent bankruptcy in July with a loan that can be converted into shares, Lineas has now applied for a closed judicial reorganization procedure. This should allow the company to reach a restructuring agreement with its […]
December 15, 2025
Road assistance company Touring and D’Ieteren’s car-sharing platform Poppy will pilot an innovative project starting at the beginning of next year. Together, they will test remote-controlled cars to transport people. Anyone experiencing car trouble in the port of Antwerp can be taken to the replacement car depot by a remotely controlled Poppy vehicle. The experiment will […]
December 15, 2025
The EU and China have resumed negotiations on a minimum price plan for electric cars manufactured in China. Most recently, the EU had examined a possible exemption for Volkswagen from EV tariffs, which now appears to have set the process in motion again. Representatives of the European Union and China are once again discussing alternatives […]
December 12, 2025
Europe will no longer hold on to its long-promised ban on new registrations of gasoline and diesel cars as of 2035. The Commission has settled for a rewrite, now demanding that the average vehicle sold will be obliged to emit 90% less CO2 after that deadline. Pitched as a measure to safeguard jobs in the […]
December 11, 2025
TotalEnergies’ lawyers have, in turn, presented their arguments in the so-called ‘Farmer case’, the lawsuit brought by Hugues Falys, an organic farmer from Hainaut, against the French oil giant. Falys holds the energy company responsible for climate change and, consequently, for the storms and droughts that have significantly impacted his business. According to them, a […]
December 11, 2025
Last week, President Donald Trump’s administration proposed loosening federal fuel-economy standards, giving automakers a reprieve from stringent emissions rules and prompting some analysts and environmental organizations to say the change could mean the return of the gas-guzzler. Trump and Department of Transportation officials said automakers might now be required to meet an average of 34.5 […]
December 11, 2025
Will we soon be hearing “Bon appétite!” or “Enjoy your meal” a little faster before the British border comes into view on the Eurostar? There’s a good chance of that happening, as the British government has changed the rules on bringing meat and dairy products into the UK as ‘personal luggage’ in response to outbreaks […]
December 10, 2025
Belgian drivers born before 1 October 1982 will not need to obtain a G driver’s license to operate agricultural vehicles in the Netherlands. A new bilateral agreement was announced by Belgian Mobility Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) and his Flemish colleague Annick De Ridder (N-VA). From 1 January 2026, these farmers may use an EU […]
December 09, 2025
From January 1st, 2026, medical exemptions authorising the use of seat belts will cease to be valid in Belgium. Anyone who benefits from an old exemption, issued before March 1st, 2022, and whose state of health still justifies the impossibility of wearing a seatbelt, will have to submit a new application. An exemption is only […]
December 09, 2025
Six EU member states have urged the European Commission in a letter to weaken the planned 2035 ban on new registrations of internal combustion engine cars. The signatories are primarily from Central and Eastern European countries. A group of six EU member states is urging the European Commission to permit the sale of hybrid vehicles […]
December 08, 2025
Fines for traffic violations will soon increase by 10%; court fines will even increase by 25%. This was confirmed by the office of Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). In concrete terms, this means that a minor first-degree offense, such as forgetting to signal, will now cost €63.80 instead of €58. A second-degree offense will increase […]
December 05, 2025
There is an EU agreement for a system like the Belgian Car-Pass, at least if it is up to the European transport ministers. With this initiative, Europe aims to tackle odometer fraud in second-hand vehicles across the European Union. The mandatory registration system is primarily based on the operating principles of the Belgian Car-Pass, a […]
December 04, 2025
As already assumed earlier, the Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has re-elected Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, for a second term as ACEA President in 2026. Källenius is also setting the tone for his second year at the helm of the association: Competitiveness and market-driven decarbonisation high on agenda,” states the headline […]
December 02, 2025
Since December 1st, China has introduced new, stricter regulations to improve the safety and quality of e-bikes, particularly their batteries. With more than 350 million e-bikes, the country has the world’s largest fleet. The stricter safety requirements govern battery safety and are intended to prevent illegal modifications that could reduce the risk of fire. The […]
December 02, 2025
Germany’s federal coalition has agreed on a unified national position regarding the EU’s 2035 zero-emission requirement for new cars. The government wants scope for ‘highly efficient combustion engine models’ alongside electric vehicles as the EU reviews its regulation. A formal proposal from Brussels is expected in December. Germany’s coalition government has agreed on a joint […]
December 01, 2025
The Flemish government has definitively abolished the tightening of the low-emission zones (LEZ). Initially, the plan was to ban diesel cars with the Euro 5 standard and gasoline cars with the Euro 2 standard from Antwerp and Ghent starting in 2026. Still, in September, the Flemish government decided to suspend this tightening. This suspension has […]
November 28, 2025
In the province of Flemish Brabant, driving licences will now be revoked at a blood alcohol level of 0.35 mg/l, down from 0.50 mg/l. With this measure, the public prosecutor’s office of Leuven and Halle-Vilvoorde aims to further increase road safety in the province. The measure to lower the blood alcohol threshold comes on the […]
November 27, 2025
Inserting a biofuels loophole in the EU 2035 cars law could see a huge spike in demand for biofuels from waste feedstocks like animal fats, used cooking oil, and palm oil by-products, a new T&E analysis finds. A car running on animal fats, for example, would require the equivalent of 120 pigs a year. This […]
November 26, 2025
The US government is trying to roll back the particulate matter limits set by former President Joe Biden. The 2024 rule had cut the allowable ambient concentration of PM2.5 from 12 µg/m³ to 9 µg/m³ — a move aimed at significantly reducing air pollution and protecting public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now headed by a director appointed by […]
November 26, 2025
The trial in the case brought by Hugues Falys, a farmer from Hainaut, against oil giant TotalEnergies has only just begun, but has already taken a surprising turn. The judges who were to preside over the case will be replaced. The reason for this reshuffle? One of the three judges on the court has withdrawn […]
November 26, 2025
Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius is apparently seeking a second term as president of the European Car Manufacturer Association ACEA. The ACEA president is elected annually, and an extension is possible, which Källenius now appears to intend. The rumors were reported by the German business publication Handelsblatt, citing industry sources. Typically, the ACEA president serves a […]
November 25, 2025
From 2027, the air passenger tax in Belgium will increase for flights over 500 kilometers from €5 to €10 per departing passenger. This is the second time in this legislative period that the federal government will increase the tax on airline tickets. Brussels Airlines points out that it cannot pay the additional tax out of its […]
November 20, 2025
The trial of Hugues Falys, a farmer from Hainaut, against TotalEnergies has begun before the Commercial Court of Tournai. At the beginning of 2024, with the support of Greenpeace and others, the farmer sued the French multinational for his role in climate change. The first climate case brought by a citizen against a multinational in […]
November 18, 2025
On Monday, the Flemish Road Safety Foundation (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde, VSV) and the federal road police launched a campaign in Gentbrugge to increase seat belt use among truck drivers. Not an unnecessary campaign, it turns out, because one in nine truck drivers seldom buckles up. The campaign’s slogan in Dutch is “Een echte draagt ‘m” […]
November 18, 2025
The Walloon Road Safety Council (CSWSR) has presented its action plan to reduce the number of road deaths in Wallonia. Among the most important proposals in the seven-point plan is a speed reduction on regional roads from 90 to 70 km/h, as in Flanders. Another important pillar: better compliance with speed limits, supported by a […]
November 17, 2025
The Vilvoorde police court has annulled the fine imposed on mobility expert Johan De Mol (Ghent University) for speeding because a private company co-finances the speed camera. The ruling could undermine the entire average speed check system, especially in Flanders. Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) intends to study the ruling thoroughly and, […]
November 14, 2025
A new study by the French Institut Mobilités en Transition (IMT) casts fresh doubt on the future of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), arguing that prolonging their sale in Europe beyond 2035 would harm both household budgets and the continent’s climate ambitions. The study finds that for buyers of new vehicles, plug-in hybrids cost about 7% […]
November 13, 2025
A Dutch court has ruled that the Flemish Region must pay compensation to the Dutch province of Limburg and the municipality of Maastricht because the express tram line between Hasselt in Belgium and Maastricht in the Netherlands will not be built. The Dutch are demanding 19,6 million euros, but the amount of compensation has not […]
November 13, 2025
In Brussels, foreign drivers who receive parking fines do not pay them in 90% of cases. This is according to figures from the office of outgoing Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen). According to BRUZZ, the Brussels-Capital Region is now investigating whether wheel clamps can be used to force non-payers to pay. The Region, which […]
November 13, 2025
EVs are increasingly showing supercar performance, but this might hit a ceiling soon. China is preparing to introduce a sweeping new rule that would cap how quickly cars can accelerate when started, for instance. A new draft issued by the Ministry of Public Security proposes that all passenger vehicles be, by default, unable to accelerate […]
November 12, 2025
Executives at Renault Group say they hope the European Commission’s plan for an ‘E-car,’ a small, low-cost EV built in Europe, can be accomplished by freezing regulations for existing small cars rather than creating a new category. Such a freeze would allow automakers to lower their cost base and make the cars economically viable and […]
November 06, 2025
The first Brussels ANPR cameras, initially intended for the low-emission zone (LEZ) and average speed checks, have been connected to the national police network. This involves 450 cameras. The integration allows all six Brussels police zones to access live data and footage in real time. Connecting the cameras to the brand-new national police platform ANPR@GPI […]
November 05, 2025
The EU has been revising its CO2 regulations for companies for some time now, and many companies fear an early combustion engine ban through the back door. The Commission is expected to present its plans in mid-December. According to the German specialized magazine Automobilwoche, citing industrial sources, the EU Commission intends to present its plans […]
November 03, 2025
Truck manufacturers Volvo Trucks, Daimler, Scania, MAN, Iveco, and Ford have sent a letter to the EU calling for the CO2 emission regulations for the sector to be relaxed. While they do not question the cornerstones of the current standard, they do question the stages between the annual targets. The news was reported by the […]
November 03, 2025
BMW is one of the first European car manufacturers to receive approval for its driver assistance system (DCAS). The German carmaker can now offer its ‘Motorway Assistant’ for the new iX3 in 60 countries without having to apply for approval in each country. The DCAS regulation was adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for […]
October 28, 2025
The Council of State is very critical of the Flemish plans to abolish the tightening of low-emission zones from 2026. According to the Council’s advice, which Belga was able to view, the intervention entails a “significant deterioration” in health and the environment. The original plan was to further tighten the rules from 2026 onward, meaning that owners […]
October 28, 2025
The German car lobby is pushing an unusual idea to boost sales of plug-in hybrids as the EU seeks to measure their real-life emissions more accurately. The proposal? A legal obligation for plug-in hybrid drivers to charge their cars regularly. The punishment for not abiding by that obligation is reduced power. A creative solution, but […]
October 22, 2025
The European Parliament has approved two texts that pave the way for digital driving licenses on smartphones by the end of 2030. They do not replace the physical driver’s license, but both will be valid. In the future, it will also be possible to begin training to become a truck driver at the age of 17. […]
October 22, 2025
Criticized by some and cherished by others, the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels is having the desired effect, according to the annual evaluation by Brussels Environment. The LEZ is leading to faster fleet renewal and better air quality in the Brussels-Capital Region. An average of 360,000 unique vehicles drive in the LEZ every day. Just […]
October 22, 2025
Febiac and Renta, the federations of car manufacturers and rental firms in Belgium, are warning that the implementation of a mandatory mobility budget in the lease sector in Belgium as of the 1st of January 2026 is completely unrealistic and will cost the federal government some €10à million. Febiac and Renta emphasize the importance of […]
October 21, 2025
During the national campaign against distracted driving on October 7 and 8, the Belgian police issued a total of 3,226 fines and immediate penalties. No fewer than 2,877 drivers were fined for using a cell phone while driving, and 1,097 driving licences were immediately revoked. “The number of violations remains very high,” says the federal […]
October 21, 2025
Belgian victims of the Dieselgate scandal who still want to file a claim for €1,000 in compensation need to hurry, because the deadline of Sunday, October 26th, is fast approaching. However, the victims themselves do not seem to be losing any sleep over it. According to the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, only 2,400 Belgians have […]
October 21, 2025
“Nissan intends to CO₂-pool with BYD across the EU during 2025 to meet more challenging emissions targets.” That’s what Schmidt Automotive Research, a UK-established, Germany-based independent consultancy and publishing firm that specializes in the automotive market, predicts. However, neither Nissan nor BYD has confirmed this so far. Nissan’s intention to pool its European fleet CO₂ […]
October 17, 2025
A pet travelling on an airplane falls under the definition of ‘baggage’. The European Court of Justice has declared this. The declaration arose from a dispute between a Spanish airline and a passenger whose dog was lost during transportation. Whether animal welfare organizations will be happy with this legal ruling is another question. They consider […]
October 16, 2025
The end of the EV paradise? Norway’s 25% VAT exemption for electric vehicles has been in place for over 20 years, making it one of the earliest and longest-running EV incentives in the world, but now it’s thinking about scrapping it from 2027. Alongside, the government proposes increasing the registration tax on fossil fuel (ICE) […]
October 16, 2025
The EU car industry wants plug-in hybrid vehicles to be considered carbon neutral, but data from thousands of vehicles shows that PHEVs emit just 19% less CO2 per km, on average, than petrol and diesel cars. Carmakers are lobbying and asking EU lawmakers to treat hybrids as clean vehicles under a ‘technology-neutral’ approach to decarbonizing […]
October 15, 2025
The federal judicial police in Halle-Vilvoorde have arrested three members of the same family from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw who organized large-scale fraud in the theoretical driving test. Research shows that family members helped candidates obtain their theoretical driving licenses fraudulently. One of the suspects had already been arrested in 2023 for similar crimes. According to the public prosecutor’s […]
October 14, 2025
The High Court in London has opened one of the most attention-grabbing consumer trials in recent years. Five car manufacturers are accused of deceiving millions of drivers by installing defeat devices to cheat pollution tests. The case, expected to run for three months, revives the scandal that has haunted the industry for a decade. Billions of […]
