Brussels, 14/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Commission's back will be against the wall over mega trucks at the plenary session of Tuesday 15 January. Brian Simpson (S&D, UK), on behalf of the of the European Parliament transport and tourism committee, of which he is the chairman,will ask the Commission to confirm or deny its intention to revise directive 96/53/EC on the weights and dimensions of trucks and to clarify the authorisation of mega trucks to operate cross-border. MEPs wish to be assured that they will not be sidelined, as they were by an initial “reinterpretation” of the legislation by the Commission's legal services last spring. They are determined to play their role of co-legislator on this issue.
In any case, the Commission is to present a revision of this directive in the next few weeks, probably in the month of January, but solely with a view to improving the safety and energy efficiency of lorries through improved aerodynamics and electric propulsion technology. Authorisation of mega trucks to cross borders between two consenting countries (e.g. Sweden and Denmark) is unlikely to be on the agenda, but there can be no doubt that the MEPs may take pains to add it. (MD/transl.fl)