- within Law Department Performance, Strategy, Litigation and Mediation & Arbitration topic(s)
EU
CONNECTING EUROPE FACILITY
The Council agreed its positionon operational provisions (643 KB) to be included in the proposed Regulation establishing the Connecting Europe Facility 2028–2034. For transport, the aims of the proposal include contributing to the completion of the trans-European transport network; contributing to a smart, resilient, safe, interoperable, decarbonised and sustainable network; and adapting the network with a view to improving both civilian and military mobility throughout the EU.
AUTOMOTIVE PACKAGE
The European Commission presented an Automotive Package to support the sector's efforts in the transition to clean mobility. It includes proposals to amend legislation including in relation to CO2 standards for vans and cars.
CLEAN ROAD VEHICLES
Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean road transport vehicles requires Member States to submit reports about their implementation of that Directive. A new Implementing regulation (EU) 2025/2606 updates the report format.
Ireland
RENEWABLE TRANSPORT FUEL OBLIGATION
European Union (Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation) Regulations 2025 (155 KB) are in operation as of 1 January 2026. They amend the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 to give further effect to the following articles of the Renewable Energy Directive: Articles 25 (Increase of renewable energy and reduction of greenhouse gas intensity in the transport sector), 26 (Specific rules for biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels produced from food and feed crops) and 27 (Calculation rules in the transport sector and with regard to renewable fuels of non-biological origin regardless of their end use).
Amendments include the increased renewable percentage rates required in fuel supplies in 2026 to meet obligations under the renewable transport fuel obligation and the advanced biofuel and renewable fuels of non-biological origin obligation. They also update terminology around renewable fuels of non-biological origin.
Amendments allow renewable transport fuel account holders who are operators of EV recharging points to receive certificates for renewable electricity supplied at publicly accessible recharging stations.
LEGISLATION PROGRAMME
Legislation for priority publication this session includes (508 KB):
- a Critical Infrastructure Bill to prioritise government-designated critical infrastructure projects through consenting and approval processes. The Bill will also provide for emergency powers to exempt critical infrastructure projects from some approvals and consents or provide alternative means of obtaining approvals and consents,
- a Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill to address planning constraints impacting continued growth in air connectivity, and
- a Dublin Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill to enable the National Transport Authority to provide public transport infrastructure in the regional cities, as it can currently do in the Greater Dublin Area.
RAIL STRATEGY
The Department of Transport in Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland published a Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy for the island (5.4MB).
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