On Thursday 1 February during a meeting of the European Parliament transport committee, MEPs expressed their concerns about cabotage and the Commission proposal in this regard for revising directive 92/106/EEC. This directive establishes, “common rules for certain types of combined transport of goods between member states” and was presented on 8 November last as part of the second "mobility" package (see EUROPE 11900).
Although the proposal was greeted with relative optimism by the different political camps, which were widely critical about the scope of application, controls and the future of combined freight transport, the question of cabotage, which has already been the subject of debate in the context of the first “mobility" package (see EUROPE 11799) in this kind of operation, was raised by several MEPs. It effectively forms the political crux of this dossier.
Under the terms of the current rules and in view of supporting combined and cleaner transport as an alternative to road transport, directive 92/106/EEC does not cover journeys by road for international combined transport operations within the rules applicable to cabotage, particularly those involving posted workers. This has given rise to the development of cabotage operations carried out by third countries on the territory of a given member state, without certain national rules being applied to them.
Although the Commission would like to increase supervision of cabotage and the rules applicable to posted transport workers in its proposals in the first "mobility" package, it is not suggesting any changes to combined international transport, which certain MEPs find difficult to understand.
Daniela Aiuto (EFDD, Italy), Parliament rapporteur on this dossier, is there for calling out the “abuses” carried out by road hauliers in this connection. Isabella de Monte (S&D, Italy) also said that cabotage in combined transport was a “problem". Mark Demesmaeker (ECR, Belgium) considered it “a little strange" that the Commission was attempting to make the rules stricter on cabotage without applying them to combined transport. These questions are therefore of a very cross-party nature and are expected to provoke some big debates when the draft report by M. Aiuto planned for the end of April, is published. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)