Brussels, 29/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Modular System (EMS) was on everybody's lips during the second annual meeting of the International Road Transport (IRU) on Wednesday 29 February in Brussels. The IRU has for a long time criticised ambiguous European legislation on the subject, which has led to the absurd situation of dismantling an eco-combi during its journey from the border between two member states even though it had been authorised on their respective national territories. The European commissioner for transport, Siim Kallas, has examined the question much more closely in this connection and has called on the Commission's legal services to analyse how legislative texts in this respect can be formulated. Over the past few days, he has sent a letter to member states to clarify the situation and possibly leave it up to them to authorise cross-border passage of eco-combis between the two countries that have already gone in this direction. Nonetheless, following a sharply critical response by the European Parliament and its transport and tourism committee on 28 and 29 February of the Commission's unilateral approach, Kallas has withdrawn this idea. Following an exchange with the chairman of the TRAN committee, Brian Simpson (S&D, UK), he decided to write to the 27 at a later date, after consultation of the MEPs. It is planned that Commissioner Kallas will address them directly in the coming weeks. The fact remains that the European modular system may count on powerful support at political and industrial level. Janusz Lacny, president of the IRU, told the said conference that the EMS should be “authorised with no restrictions, for cross-border operations as well, in order to promote the concept of doing more with less”. This was echoed by the Danish Presidency, which has made it one of its priorities, with the country trialling the EMS since 2008. “There is strong support for eco combis in Denmark, and this is a good reason to promote them at European level”, said the Danish transport minister, Henrik Dam Kristensen. Speaking on behalf of Commissioner Kallas, his chef de cabinet Henrik Hololei said that “the Commission does not intend to propose changes to the weights and dimensions directive which would require member states to allow the use of such trucks on their territory. But we do think that it is right to allow member states to make their own decision". (MD/transl.fl)