The European Parliament adopted a resolution on road
transport in the European Union, tabled by the Committee on
Transport and Tourism.
Recalling that the road transport economy in the EU
accounts for 5 million direct jobs and contributes close to
2 % of the EUs GDP, Members considered that the Commission
should put forward, as a matter of urgency, legislative
proposals concerning the road haulage market, with the aim of
identifying and addressing the challenges that the sector is
facing.
Improving competitiveness and innovation in the road
sector: Parliament considered that
the road initiatives should provide a much-needed boost for a
more sustainable, safe, innovative and competitive European road
sector and further develop European road
infrastructure.
These initiatives should:
- foster technological development of
vehicles,
- promote alternative fuels,
- increase interoperability of transport systems and
modes,
- ensure access to the market for transport
SMEs.
When drafting road initiatives, the Commission shall
take into account: (i) Parliaments
resolution of 9 September 2015 on the implementation of the
2011 White Paper on Transport; (ii) Parliaments
resolution of 14 September 2016 on social dumping in the
European Union.
Members called on the Commission to:
- develop communications infrastructure both
vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to
infrastructure to improve road safety;
- increase harmonisation in passenger transport and
transport of goods, and in particular for electronic tolling
systems in the EU.
Facilitating cross-border mobility on
road: Parliament urged the Member
States to implement relevant EU rules more thoroughly and on the
Commission to monitor such implementation more closely.
Member States are called upon to step up
checks, particularly in relation to compliance with driving and
rest times and cabotage rules, and to use effective, proportionate
and dissuasive sanctions.
Members urged the Commission to:
- speed up the mandatory use of digital devices on
board such as smart tachographs and the use of electronic
consignment notes (e-CMR) to improve the monitoring of compliance
with relevant EU rules;
- further harmonise existing rules for mandatory
safety equipment in light and heavy duty vehicles such as
warning triangles, reflective jackets, spare lamps or
breathalysers;
- examine possibilities to reduce the bureaucratic
and financial burdens of different national legislations in
order to facilitate the freedom to provide transport services
across the EU;
- propose a revision of the European
Electronic Toll Service (EETS) Directive, which should include
an external cost element based on the polluter pays
principle, be fully interoperable.
Parliament stressed that a coherent, fair,
transparent, non-discriminating and non-bureaucratic road
charging system implemented in the EU and proportionate to the
use of the road and to the external costs generated by lorries,
buses and cars (the user pays and polluter
pays principles).
Improving social conditions and safety
rules: Parliament expressed its
concerned about socially problematic business practices that also
present a risk in terms of road safety, related mainly to cabotage
rules and to the so-called letterbox
companies.
Members insisted on the need to:
- review the requirements on the right of
establishment in order to eradicate letterbox
companies in the road transport sector;
- address issues relating to driver fatigue, including
ensuring that any investment in road infrastructure includes
improving facilities for drivers;
- clarify the rules governing access to road transport
occupation, and to improve their implementation, in order to
effectively tackle fraud and abuse;
- clarify the application of the provisions of the
Posting of Workers Directive in the road transport
sector;
- address the quality of work in the road
transport sector, with respect in particular to training,
certification, working conditions and career
development;
- create an electronic and integrated operator
file for all operators operating under the Community
licence;
- set up a plan for constructing/providing capacity and
user-friendly, safe and secure rest areas with a sufficient
number of parking spaces, sanitary facilities and transit
hotels.
Promoting low-emission road transport: Parliament called for effective national policy
frameworks to stimulate the wider uptake of vehicles using
alternative fuels (e.g. electricity, hybrid, hydrogen, compressed
natural gas), and called for the rapid deployment of the necessary
refuelling/recharging infrastructure.
Members called on the Commission to:
- come up with ambitious proposals for CO2
standards for trucks and buses in order to reduce GHG emissions
from the road sector;
- speed up the transition away from traditional
fossil-fuel-powered road vehicles to sustainable
electric-powered vehicles, such as those using hydrogen fuel
cells;
- stimulate the development and use of Intelligent
Transport Systems and promote innovations.