The city of Leuven (Louvain) in Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium received a silver award at the fifth European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Awards, held in Brussels on Tuesday 21 April 2026. The awards, organised by the European Commission, recognise cities, municipalities, and regions that excel in promoting inclusion, diversity, and combating discrimination.
Tag: European Union
Sweden invests in Talgo night trains: “a sustainable, comfortable leap for northern travel”
Sweden’s national transport authority, Trafikverket, signed a landmark €756 million contract with Spanish manufacturer Talgo on 20 April 2026, securing a new fleet of modern night and daytime trains. The agreement, celebrated in Stockholm with Sweden’s minister of infrastructure and housing, Andreas Carlson, and Talgo’s president, José Antonio Jainaga, marks a major step towards revitalising…
European aviation braces for jet fuel shortage amid geopolitical crisis
European airlines and the European Commission are preparing for a potential jet fuel shortage that could ground flights across the continent. The crisis, already causing fuel restrictions in Italy, is raising alarms across Europe, with warnings that a systemic shortage could become a reality if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
London St Pancras aims to cut boarding windows by up to 30 minutes
Eurostar passengers at London St Pancras International in the United Kingdom could soon be allowed to arrive much closer to departure time, as plans are being considered to cut boarding windows by up to 30 minutes. The proposals form part of a wider effort to reduce overcrowding and move away from what station managers describe…
RAIL BALTICA | Baltic operators launch joint tender for regional trains
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…
Starline reimagines European rail, but can it deliver?
A sleek, deep-blue train gliding across Europe at 400 km/h. Passengers board in Helsinki and arrive in Berlin just three hours later. Freight bypasses congested motorways. New architectural landmark stations double as concert halls and cultural hubs. Welcome to Starline—a ‘metro-style’ high-speed rail vision that aims to redraw the European map.
TALLINN | Estonian History Museum at the Great Guild Hall
August 2025. We’re travelling to the Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and more specifically their respective capitals Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Are they interconnected by rail? Yes, but not in the most straightforward or userfriendly way possible. The Rail Baltica project should remedy this. Unsurprisingly though, this megaproject faces political and budgetary hurdles. It…
BRUSSELS PRIDE 2026 | “When times get darker, we shine brighter”
Brussels Pride will return to Belgium‘s capital on Saturday 16 May 2026, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a strong political message about visibility, solidarity and resistance. Organisers expect around 200,000 people to gather in the city centre for the annual march and celebrations.
EU study assesses progress and prospects for hyperloop technology
On 12 November 2025, the European Commission presented a new fact-finding study assessing the current state of the European hyperloop sector and exploring possible avenues for European Union support.
EU survey reveals large majority of citizens would swap planes for high-speed trains to travel in Europe
A recent European Union survey, made public on 1 July 2025, shows that a large majority of European citizens would like to travel faster and more easily between European countries, preferring to travel by high-speed rail instead of flying.