CLECAT and EEA call for stronger incentives to decarbonise road transport in Europe

On Friday 6 February, CLECAT, the European association of logistics professionals, and the European Express Association (EEA), which represents express delivery companies and associations, sent a letter to the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) concerning the ‘Eurovignette’ directive on the CO₂ emissions class of heavy goods vehicles (see EUROPE 13739/30).

The two associations felt that the current treatment of low-emission vehicles in emissions class 4 did not adequately reflect their real potential for reducing CO₂ emissions. In practice, the flat-rate reduction provided for in the directive is “often insufficient to create a robust business case” and does not systematically reward technologies in proportion to their environmental performance. They called for “a more proportional and science-based approach”, in which reductions in road charges better reflect verified CO₂ savings.

The associations also stressed that the ‘Eurovignette’ directive should incentivise both zero-emission vehicles and credible low-emission solutions. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)