Brussels, 25/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 21 February, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) met European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas.
The secretary general of the association presented the commissioner with the sector's contribution to the EUROPE 2020 growth strategy, particularly the initiative to double the use of buses and coaches through the “Smart Move” campaign.
The IRU also stressed to the commissioner that the TIR (international road transport) system in the EU should be authorised once again for the transport of goods under Customs control, in parallel with the current T-system. The organisation takes the view that, in this way, 12 million European heavy goods vehicles and 600,000 transport businesses would have direct access to European trade, without being forced to depend on a limited number of integrators (UPS, DHL, FedEx, TNT).
After the meeting, both the Commission and the IRU confirmed their will ;ingness to work together again for the third EU-IRU conference on transport. This will take place in Vilnius on 30 September, with the support of the Lithuanian Presidency. (MD/transl.fl)