The Presidency of the Council of the European Union met with the Ambassadors of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) on Wednesday 8 September to discuss the progress of the interinstitutional negotiations on the amendment of the rules on vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road (2006/1/EC).
“This was not mentioned on Wednesday, but the aim would be to reach an agreement before the end of the year”, a source close to the matter told EUROPE.
This echoes the words of rapporteur Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar (EPP, Portugal) on 1 September, who shares the ambition to reach an agreement by the end of December 2021 (see EUROPE 12781/7).
However, some issues still need to be discussed, such as the time limit for the rental of a vehicle, above which a Member State may decide to restrict its use.
The EU Council would like to see a maximum of 30 days. The Commission - and some MEPs - would prefer a four-month deadline.
“The first trilogue was introductory. Today we discussed the different positions. The issue of duration seems to be the main point. Other, more marginal aspects will also be addressed”, an EU source told EUROPE.
Among the latter points, the interinstitutional discussions should also focus on the number of vehicles concerned within the same fleet. Questions concerning vehicles over 6 tonnes or data exchange systems will also be discussed.
Technical meetings will be held in the coming weeks. A trilogue is scheduled for 26 October. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)