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Citizens are calling on the European Union to boost the European railway sector. Many citizens have written to the European Parliament’s Transport Committee on this subject since October 2025, asking for more subsidies for railways, the development of high-speed rail networks and tax reductions for rail.

We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the Transport Committee.

EU support for rail travel

One goal of the European Union’s (EU) Green Deal is to reduce emissions in the transport sector by 90 % by 2050.

To achieve this, the EU has adopted a sustainable and smart mobility strategy and an action plan for rail to boost long-distance and cross-border travel. The action plan aims to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and treble it by 2050, using targeted investments, standardisation of European rail systems and better connectivity for rural and remote regions.

In 2023, the European Commission proposed new rules to better manage railway tracks, increase reliability and help reduce transport-related emissions. The European Parliament adopted its position on the proposal in 2024.

In 2025, the EU invested €2.8 billion through its Connecting Europe Facility programme, mostly for rail, to modernise the railways and improve cross-border transport across the trans-European transport network (TEN‑T).

In 2025, the Commission announced it would develop a sustainable transport investment plan to support cleaner transport in Europe. One of the aims is to encourage more people to use the railways.

European Parliament position

In June 2025, the European Parliament addressed railway transport in the EU in two separate resolutions.

In the first resolution, Parliament said that road, rail and maritime (sea) transport links needed to be developed through EU co-funded programmes, to reduce the isolation of rural areas and facilitate the sustainable mobility of people and goods. In the second resolution, Parliament regretted the shortage of viable cross-border measures, including high-speed railways, that are essential for completing the TEN‑T network.

In an earlier resolution adopted in 2022, Parliament recognised the crucial role of rail in decarbonising mobility. It supported the EU’s sustainable and smart mobility strategy and welcomed the Commission’s action plan.

Aviation fuel tax exemption

In 2021, as part of the Green Deal, the Commission tabled a proposal to review the Energy Taxation Directive. The proposal would remove the mandatory tax exemption for aviation (aeroplane) fuels.

The proposal is subject to the ‘special legislative procedure’, which means the European Parliament is only consulted, and national governments must reach unanimous agreement in the Council. So far, the national governments have not reached an agreement. Further information is available in this briefing from the European Parliament’s Research Service.

Background

Citizens often send messages to the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.

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Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

By I. R. King
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 29 2025 (IPS)

In June 2025, the international community celebrated the 80th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter. On October 24, we celebrated UN Day, commemorating its ratification. This is an opportune moment to reflect on how far we have come, and the ground we have yet to traverse.

Countries of the Global South particularly find themselves at a critical juncture, as we experience firsthand the shifts of the multilateral system and bear the brunt of its effects.

The UN Charter, as the foundational document of the United Nations (UN), affirmed belief in a multilateral system and formally established an international organization aimed at curtailing future suffering in a post-World War context. The UN’s Security Council, one of the principal organs created by the Charter, which is primarily tasked with the maintenance of peace, became the cornerstone of the international peace and security framework.

Comprised of five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) with veto power, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms, the Council has locked into place a power imbalance, which perpetuates the historical injustices of a bygone era.

Today, the world is not as it was in 1945. We are witnessing escalating conflicts in real time – from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan, unprecedented global security threats, and rapidly shifting geopolitics – all challenging the lofty ideals and aspirations that underpinned the UN’s founding.

In light of the critical mandate of the UN Security Council, and the far-reaching consequences of its decisions, (and its paralysis), it is necessary to ask: is the United Nations Security Council currently equipped to meet these evolving challenges and retain its legitimacy?

There may be varied views on the way forward, but for a majority the short answer to this question is “No.” It is not equipped in its current form.

The L.69, a diverse pro-reform coalition of developing countries from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, views reform as both urgent and essential. Our group is united by the call for comprehensive reform of the Security Council, specifically by expanding the membership in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership.

We believe that we must confront the reality that developing countries, which are home to the majority of the world’s population and are often on the frontlines of global crises, remain unrepresented and underrepresented on the Council.

The power to influence war and peace, to enforce international law, to decide where injustice is condemned or overlooked, and where humanitarian aid is delivered, should not continue to rest in the hands of a few powers, which includes those with a colonial past, who once held dominion over the very nations now seeking representation.

The exclusion of the perspective of those populations most affected by the conflicts is not only unjust, but also dangerous.

There is now a kind of ennui around the discussions on Security Council reform, which may be inevitable in a conversation that has been ongoing in various forms for decades. However, though the road to reform may be difficult we cannot afford to give up. The cost of inaction for the peoples of the world is a weighty matter that states will have to answer for.

There are pathways that have been identified for how the United Nations can go forward. The process can build on the only successful reform achieved in 1965, when the Council, in response to the growth of the UN membership, expanded from 11 to 15 members with the addition of four non-permanent seats.

The case is simple. Just as the world has changed, so too must the Security Council evolve. This is not only necessary to reflect today’s geopolitical realities, but to create a world where every voice counts. Security Council reform is about the global community fulfilling their commitment to the foundational promise of the United Nations: to uphold peace, dignity, and equality. Time is running out.

The question is not whether the Security Council will be reformed, but whether it will be reformed in time to remain relevant.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Excerpt:

Ambassador I.R. King is Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Chair of the UN Security Council Reform Group L69

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Le Centre d'Arbitrage, de Médiation et de Conciliation du Bénin (CAMeC) et la Cour d'Arbitrage du Togo (CATO) ont signé, mardi 28 octobre 2025, un accord de partenariat destiné à renforcer la coopération en matière de règlement alternatif des différends dans l'espace OHADA.

CAMeC Bénin et CATO sont en synergie. Les deux institutions sœurs du Bénin et du Togo ont signé, mardi 28 octobre 2025, un accord de partenariat au siège de la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie du Bénin, à Cotonou, en présence des responsables des deux institutions.

« Cette rencontre marque une étape décisive dans la consolidation de l'espace OHADA fondé sur la confiance, la coopération et la promotion des modes alternatifs de règlement des différends », a déclaré le président du CAMeC-Bénin. Selon Alain Amoussoukpèvi, l'accord vise à « renforcer et sécuriser l'environnement juridique et judiciaire des affaires » au service du développement économique du Bénin, du Togo et de la région. Il a insisté sur la nécessité de « prévenir les conflits en promouvant la culture de la médiation, de la conciliation et de l'arbitrage ».

L'accord prévoit la mise en œuvre de plusieurs actions conjointes : formations pour les arbitres et médiateurs, organisation de séminaires et colloques, partage d'expertises et d'informations institutionnelles. Il prévoit aussi « l'intégration des modes alternatifs de règlement des différends dans les curricula des universités », afin de former les futurs praticiens du droit.

Pour le président du CAMeC Bénin, ce partenariat ouvre « une nouvelle ère de coopération structurée, durable et mutuellement bénéfique » entre les deux institutions. « En unissant nos forces, nous consolidons un socle durable pour un espace économique apaisé et prospère », a-t-il ajouté.

Le président de la CATO, Alexis Aquereburu, a salué « les liens légendaires » entre le Bénin et le Togo. Cet accord « scelle un état d'esprit que nous essayons de cultiver entre nos deux peuples ». « C'est toujours un bonheur inégalé de se retrouver à Cotonou pour construire ensemble quelque chose de concret pour nos populations », a-t-il confié.

Pour lui, cette initiative est une occasion de « mutualiser les efforts, de travailler ensemble et de concevoir des programmes communs » afin de créer « un véritable espace commun d'affaires entre le Togo et le Bénin ». « Les deux pays sont si proches qu'on ne sait parfois plus qui est du Bénin ou du Togo », a-t-il lancé dans une note d'humour saluée par l'assistance.

Les deux responsables ont souligné que cet accord contribuera à « la promotion effective de la justice alternative » et au renforcement de la sécurité juridique des transactions commerciales.
M. M.