In a response to a written question from the European Parliament on Thursday 9 January, the European Commission confirmed that it was not planning any legislative action to reinstate the provision of the ‘mobility package’ that was annulled by the Court of Justice of the EU in October. The Court had annulled the requirement for vehicles used for international transport to return to the transport company’s operational centre every eight weeks (see EUROPE 13497/20).
In October, S&D MEPs Johan Danielsson (Sweden) and Estelle Ceulemans (Belgium) drafted a written question on this subject. They felt that “the provision was a core element of the Mobility Package, and an important tool to combat unfair competition by preventing the proliferation of letterbox companies in the road transport sector”.
In his response, Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, pointed out that this provision was not part of the Commission’s initial proposal. “At the time of adoption, the Commission made a declaration noting that the obligation of return of the truck would lead to inefficiencies in the transport system and an increase in unnecessary emissions, pollution, and congestion”, he added.
CLECAT, which represents freight transport and logistics professionals, welcomed the Commission’s clarification, “validating its arguments against the unintended consequences of the return of the vehicle provision”, in a press release published the following day.
Read the Commission’s response: https://aeur.eu/f/f0k (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)