The Council of the EU adopted on Thursday 3 June a general approach on revised rules on the use of hired vehicles for the transport of goods, in order to clarify the situation on hired trucks.
“The revision aims to clarify the current rules, ensure a uniform regulatory framework and ease restrictions on the use of these vehicles. Thanks to greater flexibility in vehicle rental, transporters will be able to operate more efficiently”, explains the Portuguese Minister of Infrastructure, Pedro Nuno Santos.
Thus, according to the position adopted by the EU Council, Member States will not be allowed to restrict the use on their territory of a vehicle hired by a company established in another Member State, provided that the registration rules are respected.
In terms of taxation on road transport - which differs widely between countries within the EU - Member States will have the possibility to restrict, within certain limits, the use by companies on their soil of vehicles hired in another Member State. Electronic documents can now be recognised as evidence of compliance.
Finally, the text agreed by the competent Ministers states that authorities will have to record the registration numbers of vehicles hired in another Member State in their national electronic registers, in order to better monitor enforcement and control illegal cabotage.
EU countries will have to incorporate these new provisions into their legislation by 21 August 2023, a date which is three years after the entry into force of the revised rules of the first ‘Mobility’ package on market access and admission to the occupation. This will allow the alignment of the deadlines for the implementation of the additional control measures required by these two legislations. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)