With the sensitive negotiations pertaining to the first “mobility” package resuming after the summer break (see EUROPE 12078), another dossier will also be the subject of the national experts’ attention, meeting at the Council of the EU over the next few weeks: combined transport.
The proposal on the table, which revises the current directive 92/106/EEC, is part of the second mobility package presented in November 2017 (see EUROPE 11900).
Although the text presented was mainly concerned with the technical aspects, the member states have not managed to agree on the cabotage exemption. Under the terms of article 4 of the text currently in force, a handler is exempt from cabotage rules during international combined transport operations between member states.
The Commission did not intend to return to this point, but the countries of western Europe and Scandinavia are concerned by total liberalisation of cabotage and unfair competition from other member states.
Conversely, the delegations from central and eastern Europe are more in favour of this exemption that the former Bulgarian Presidency of the Council proposed as part of its draft compromise texts (see EUROPE 12024, 12004).
The reason for the breakdown in the discussions between the member states originates in the link established between this dossier and the painstaking and ongoing negotiations on the social and market aspects of the first mobility package, where cabotage occupies centre stage.
At the beginning of June, the Transport Council only managed to validate a simple progress report on the first mobility package (see EUROPE 12035, 12036).
Although it is not disposed to making any forecasts, the Austrian Presidency of the Council is hoping to obtain a political agreement in principle ("general approach") on revising the European rules for combined transport, during the ministerial meeting in December.
European Parliament opposed to cabotage exemption. An identical debate took place at the European Parliament on the question of the exemption for cabotage (see EUROPE 11952), but the transport committee took a position against any exemption for cabotage (see EUROPE 12058, 12059).
This vote cannot, for the instant, be interpreted as going in any one direction because the discussions are continuing at the transport committee on cabotage as part of the first mobility package, after the Parliamentary plenary session rejected the amended report by Ismail Ertug (S&D, Germany) (see EUROPE 12055). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)