Europe

Major European industry associations, including ACEA, Airports Council International Europe, Airlines for Europe, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, the European Sea Ports Organisation, European Rail Infrastructure Managers, and the International Road Transport Union, have called on EU Member States and the European Commission to significantly increase funding for the transport sector under the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The signatories insist on increasing the budget of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to at least €100 billion, emphasizing that without modern and sustainable infrastructure, Europe will not be able to ensure strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and crisis resilience.

Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) has officially integrated its Dubai representative office into its international network. Since January 2026, the “Port of Hamburg Representative Office Dubai” has strengthened Hamburg’s presence in one of the key hubs of global trade. The Gulf region is seen as a strategic hub between Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as a promising partner amid the transformation of supply chains and the development of alternative energy. The growth in business activity is already reflected in the figures: in the first nine months of 2025, container throughput between the Port of Hamburg and the UAE/Red Sea/Gulf countries increased by 28.8 percent to approximately 130,000 TEU compared to the same period last year.

Turkey’s General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments (AYGM) has published a General Procurement Notice for the “İstanbul Kuzey Demiryolu Geçişi – Istanbul North Rail Crossing (INRAIL)” project (Project ID P509952). The announcement was published in the Resmi Gazete on February 27. Earlier, on February 24, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced a preliminary agreement with six international financial institutions to secure $6.75 billion in financing. The financing will include a $2 billion loan from the World Bank, as well as co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the OPEC Fund for International Development. According to the minister, the Northern Ring Railway will be Turkey’s largest externally financed railway project, with tendering procedures scheduled to be completed this year.

Ellerman City Liners announced the relaunch of its iPEX 2 service with a new Gdynia-Hull-Gdynia rotation, strengthening the direct short-sea connection between Poland and the UK. The updated route includes a call at the Port of Hull, bringing cargo closer to key logistics hubs in Northern England and the Midlands, including Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster, Nottingham, and Birmingham.

Brazil’s Ministry of Transport and Crossrail International Limited signed a memorandum of understanding on 12 February in Brasília to expand technical cooperation in the railway sector.

Hutchison Ports BEST, operator of a major container terminal at the Port of Barcelona, ​​has commissioned the TIN (Terminal Intermodal de Navarra) multimodal complex following the completion of a modernization program. The terminal is located in the province of Navarre in northern Spain, near the border with France, and serves cargo flows from northern Spain and southern France.

In early 2026, the Port of Riga welcomed two new scheduled container services. British line Ellerman City Liners connected Riga with Gdynia, Teesport, Tilbury, and Rotterdam, while global carrier Hapag-Lloyd launched a route Wilhelmshaven–Hamburg–Klaipeda–Riga–Rauma–Helsinki–Wilhelmshaven. Vessels from both lines will call at the port weekly, expanding Latvian customers’ access to international markets and improving delivery reliability.

Danish transport and logistics group DFDS reported a decline in profitability for the full year 2025, with its key logistics division posting an operating loss. The Logistics Division posted revenue of DKK 15.6 billion, while EBIT was negative DKK 30 million, compared to a profit of DKK 200 million a year earlier. The ferry business remained profitable, posting EBIT of DKK 791 million on revenue of DKK 15.3 billion, although the result also declined. The company attributes the deterioration to market disruptions, declining demand in Northern Europe, problems in the Turkish transport market, and the impact of the war in Ukraine on freight flows in the Baltic region.

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility, and Infrastructure has commissioned the state-owned railway group ÖBB to develop a reform concept aimed at restructuring the company. The reorganization process includes expanding the operator’s business activities, and the changes are scheduled to begin in early 2027.

Luka Koper Group closed 2025 with improved key financial performance, despite the volatile global economy, trade uncertainty, and shifting logistics routes. Group net revenue reached EUR 380.3 million, exceeding the plan by 13% and the 2024 result by 15%. The main drivers were increased container and vehicle handling, as well as increased revenue from warehousing services. Operating profit (EBIT) increased by 44% to EUR 96.3 million, while net profit amounted to EUR 81.5 million, up 35% year-on-year.