The European Parliament overwhelmingly defeated an international anti-piracy trade agreement after concern that it would limit internet freedom sparked street protests in cities across Europe. The vote - 39 in favor, 478 against, with 165 abstentions - appeared to deal the death blow to the European Union's participation in a treaty it helped negotiate, though other countries may still participate without the EU.

The European Union recently convened in Brussels the first meeting of the High Level Group on Logistics, a 14-member assemblage devoted to advancing European transport policy measures, headed by European Commission vice president Siim Kallas.

For European governments, meeting the European Union's long-term target for greenhouse gas emissions - a reduction of 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 - will demand bold moves.

CaroTrans, a non-vessel operating common carrier and ocean freight consolidator, has opened a branch office in Le Havre, France.

Descartes Systems Group has acquired the assets of Infodis B.V., a Netherlands-based vendor of transportation-management system (TMS) software.

The British International Freight Association is seeking entries for its annual Freight Service Awards competition, celebrating 24 years of recognising the best in the UK freight forwarding industry.

Kewill plc, a vendor of software to automate global trade and logistics processes, has reached agreement to integrate its application with that of a counterpart based in Hungary.

The major expansion of internet retailing is expected to be the biggest driver of activity in the European logistics market - and the need for distribution space - in the coming three years, according to a survey conducted by global real estate advisor CBRE.