The European Parliament adopted by 578 votes to 15, with 18 abstentions, amendments on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules ensuring basic road freight connectivity with regard to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the Union.
The matter was referred to the relevant committees for inter-institutional negotiations.
The proposal provides for temporary measures to regulate the transport of goods by road between the Union and the United Kingdom in the absence of an agreement on the latter's withdrawal. It aims to allow UK operators to temporarily transport goods to the EU for 9 months (until 31 December 2019), provided that the United Kingdom grants equivalent rights to EU road hauliers and subject to the conditions of fair competition.
The main amendments adopted in plenary relate to the following points:
Authorised carriage
The temporary measures provided for should allow road hauliers licensed in the United Kingdom to carry goods between the territory of the United Kingdom and the remaining 27 Member States or from the territory of the United Kingdom to the territory of the United Kingdom with transit through one or more Member States.
Members proposed replacing the notion of "bilateral carriage" of goods by the notion of "authorised carriage" which would cover:
- a laden journey undertaken by a vehicle from the territory of the Union to the territory of the United Kingdom or vice versa, with or without transit through one or more Member States or third countries;
- a laden journey undertaken by a vehicle from the territory of the United Kingdom to the territory of the United Kingdom with transit through the territory of the Union;
- an unladen journeyin connection with the above-mentioned transport operations.
Equivalence of rights and fair competition
The Commission could, by means of delegated acts:
- suspend the application of the regulation when equivalent rights are not granted to EU road hauliers or when the rights granted are minimal; or
- establish limits to the allowable capacity available to UK road haulage operators or to the number of journeys or to both; or
- adopt other appropriate measures, such as financial duties or operational restrictions.