After months of refraining from travelling, also due to restrictive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, rail passenger transport is getting back on track. In the third quarter (Q3) of 2021, the rail sector in the EU is recording a significant increase in terms of passengers.

On January 01,  2021, the median  age of the EU’s  population hit 44.1 years, 0.2 years more than in 2020. It increased by 2.5 years (on average by 0.25 years per annum) from 41.6 years in 2011. This means that half of the EU’s population was older than 44.1 years, while the other half was younger. 

The EU tourism ecosystem has been hit hard by the pandemic in the past two years, but the sector is traditionally an important player on the labour market, offering opportunities to a diverse workforce. 

The European Parliament’s Rapporteur on the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), MEP Peter Liese, on January 14, published a Report on the revision of the EU ETS, in the framework of the ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package for shipping.

The European Environment Agency (EEA), had recently released a report indicating that heatwaves, floods, and other extreme weather have killed 142,000 people in Europe over the last 40 years and cost European economies more than EUR500 billion.

In 2020, renewable energy sources made up 37 percent of gross electricity consumption in the EU, up from 34 percent in 2019. 

From earthquakes to excessive floods, extreme and unpredictable natural hazards impact every country around the world. To combat the effects of climate change and the vast rise in natural disasters over the past 50 years, nearly 200 countries agreed to the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ at the 26th global United Nations climate summit (COP26) in November 2021.

The EU has the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, known as Natura 2000 and consisting of almost 27,000 terrestrial and marine sites.

The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Giannis Karousos, participated in the Informal Council of Ministers of Transport and Energy of the European Union that took place in Slovenia from September 21-23.

A new manual was introduced for the monitoring of marine litter where the purpose of the handbook is to provide more reliable and comparable data. This is to allow experts to assess the impact of measures already in place to reduce marine litter pollution and to better understand where to focus future clean-up efforts of the beaches and seas of Europe.