As previously announced in our most recent issue (see EUROPE 12058), MEPs at the European Parliament's transport committee adopted their position on Tuesday 10 July for the inter-institutional negotiations with the Council of European Union (‘trialogues’) on the revision of directive 92/106/EEC for combined goods transport.
A clear majority was obtained in this vote, with 34 MEPs supporting the amended report by Daniela Aiuto (EFDD, Italy) and only 4 against (2 abstentions). The contents of this agreement reached between the MEPs is mainly the same as the one described in our most recent edition.
Although the revision of the current directive aims to support combined transport, it is the question of exemptions to cabotage rules for the road leg of an international combined transport operation that has created such debate in Parliament and at the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 11952, 12024). On this point, MEPs took a position against this kind of the exemption but the social and market aspects are obviously going to link the negotiations on the first mobility package, a dossier upon which the discussions are stalling (see EUROPE 12036, 12055).
Although Parliament has defined its position on this issue, EU Transport Ministers have still not reached an agreement on combined transport. A simple progress report was submitted by the former Bulgarian Presidency of the Council in June (see EUROPE 12035). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)