We present a model simulation for the year 1995 accounting for primary particles, which are an important component of fine aerosols over Europe. A new emission inventory for black carbon (BC) was developed on the basis of the recent European emission inventory of anthropogenic primary particulate matter (Coordinated European Programme on Particulate Matter Emission Inventories, Projections and Guidance (CEPMEIP)). The annual BC emissions of Europe and the former Soviet Union for 1995 are estimated at 0.47 and 0.26 Tg C, respectively, with highest contributions from transport (off‐road and on‐road) and households. Modeled BC concentrations range from ≤0.05 μg/m3 in remote regions to more than 1 μg/m3 over densely populated areas. The modeled BC concentration is about 25% of the total primary aerosol concentration. The primary aerosol fields were combined with previously calculated secondary aerosol concentrations to obtain an estimate of the total anthropogenic fine aerosol distribution. Modeled BC levels contribute only 4–10% to fine aerosol mass, whereas sulphate and nitrate contribute 25–50 and 5–35%, respectively. Comparison with experimental data revealed that the model underestimates PM2.5 levels, mostly caused by the underprediction of total carbonaceous material (BC and OC) by a factor of ∼2. The underestimation can partly be explained by the influence of local emissions, measurement uncertainties, natural sources, and representation of wet deposition. However, the uncertainties associated with the emission inventory for BC (and total PM) may be the most important cause for the discrepancy. In comparison with previous studies, our BC emission estimate is a factor of 2 lower, caused by the choice of more recent emission factors. Therefore a better knowledge of emission factors is urgently needed to estimate the BC (and PM) emissions reliably.