The agreement on the post-Brexit relationship, concluded on 24 December, includes two sections devoted to road transport, governing cross-Channel freight on the one hand and passenger transport on the other. Although it has been possible to retain a significant part of the acquis communautaire - for example, concerning working conditions for drivers or the requirements imposed on operators - the transition is not without difficulties for the sector. EUROPE takes stock of the main changes expected on British and European roads with Raluca Marian, General Delegate of the World Road Transport Organisation (IRU) Permanent Delegation to the EU (Interview by Agathe Cherki).
Agence Europe - After a week under a new regime, what difficulties are emerging for road hauliers?
Raluca Marian - The most challenging change we see is the introduction of customs formalities, which will lengthen border crossing times. With the problems that have occurred in recent weeks at Dover with the new variant of Covid-19, it is still premature to predict the consequences of this change with any certainty. We will have to wait until February and the resumption of normal traffic.
But, to give you an idea, at the Bulgaria–Turkey border, where every day nearly a thousand trucks cross the border, the standard waiting time is two days. In Kent, the number of trucks crossing the border averages 7,000 a day and can reach 10,000. You can guess how long it will take.
Hopefully, the existing instruments to facilitate border crossing, such as the TIR system, will be well used. And special corridors will be set up to simplify formalities. But the waiting and the massive traffic jams will continue. There will be delays in the future that will not be easy to predict and, therefore, unreliable delivery times.
On the other hand, as far as access to the single market is concerned, it is really positive that bilateral transport - i.e. direct from one party to the other - is not affected and that no quotas have been introduced.
Only the possibilities for cabotage have been reduced: British operators can now carry out only one cabotage operation in the EU before returning to the UK. Operation between Member States will also be limited for them. As for European operators, they will be limited to two cabotage operations in the UK, compared to three previously.
Isn’t there a risk that this limit on cabotage operations will alter supply chains, particularly on the British side?
In theory, no. The United Kingdom was not heavily relying on cabotage carried out by non-British operators.
And, in order to overcome these limitations and avoid waiting time at the border, the use of unaccompanied combined transport will certainly increase. That means, European drivers, for example, will bring their trailer to the border, where it will be put on a ferry or train and picked up directly by British drivers on the other side of the Channel.
How well prepared are transport operators today?
If freight traffic is still limited at the moment, this is not only due to the measures taken by the British government in response to the sanitary context. It is also because many operators prefer to take a little more time to prepare themselves.
We had the agreement at the very last minute and customs formalities are giving them many challenges. Fortunately, in terms of the recognition of licences, permits and training, the agreement has taken over almost all the EU provisions, so there will be no major changes.
On this point, it should also be stressed that it does not just depend on the transport operator, but on the entire logistics chain. An operator may well be ready in terms of market access and formalities for drivers, but if the exporter and importer are not and cannot provide the necessary documents and declarations to the haulier and the driver, then they cannot leave.
What about road passenger transport?
In the case of regular transport - or scheduled transport - there have also been changes in terms of market access. Cabotage is no longer allowed. Therefore, a European company travelling to the United Kingdom will no longer be able to make stops to pick up or drop off passengers on British territory.
And customs controls have been reinstated for passengers and the goods they will carry.
As for occasional passenger transport – i.e. coach tourism – it is covered by the ‘Interbus’ agreement, concluded by the EU with third countries and joined by the UK as such on 1 January. The intention is to ultimately amend this ‘Interbus’ agreement so that it also covers regular transport services. Once this will be done, the post-Brexit agreement will then only apply to road freight.
Do you consider these new rules to be sufficiently balanced?
The sector is relieved and happy to have this agreement. A total lack of agreement would have been a catastrophe. Of course, from the point of view of operators, the ideal situation is the single market and the customs union.
So, anything outside this framework is imperfect! But it is already good that continuity is ensured.