The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Isabel GARCÍA MUÑOZ (S&D, ES) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic.
The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:
Permits
Member States should ensure that the procedure for obtaining permits or similar arrangements for the transport of indivisible loads is smooth, efficient and non-discriminatory, by providing an EU common standard application form and by minimising administrative burdens and avoiding unnecessary delays. Member States should issue the permits or similar arrangements in an electronic format and cooperate to further harmonise the permit issuing deadlines.
European Modular Systems
Member States may allow the circulation in their territories in national and international traffic of European Modular Systems subject to all of the following conditions:
- for new EMS routes, the Member States should make a prior assessment of the possible impact of European Modular Systems on road safety, on the road infrastructure, on modal cooperation, as well as the environmental impacts of European Modular Systems on the transport system, including the impacts on modal split. The assessment should be made publicly available;
- Member States should ensure that appropriate measures are taken to avoid any possible negative impacts on road safety, including the safety of vulnerable road users, as a result of use of European Modular Systems.
Electronic information system
Member States should set up and manage an electronic information and communication system with a single national access point for obtaining information, in a clear, accessible, and transparent manner, regarding national maximum authorised weights and dimensions of vehicles, as well as any restrictions, including on height, in specified areas or on specific roads.
EU label
Members proposed the introduction of a standardised EU label for the length of motor vehicles or vehicle combinations used in European Modular Systems (EMS) or which deviate from standard dimensions should be established at Union level. That EU label should clearly indicate the length of all the vehicles or vehicle combinations of this Directive in order to help other road users to identify and familiarise themselves with these vehicles and reduce any possible risks caused by visibility restrictions or blind spots, for example when overtaking.
EU web portal
To ensure that operators and citizens can access all relevant information in one place, a dedicated European web portal, in all the official languages of the Union, connecting the national electronic and communication systems and providing, among others, a clear graphic overview of the roads on which EMS, and, where available, vehicles transporting indivisible loads, are allowed to circulate in the relevant Member States, should be established by the Commission, at the latest by 6 months after the date of transposition of this Directive.
Training certificates
The amended text stipulates that Member States should have the possibility to establish minimum requirements or a certification scheme for drivers of EMS. In order to ensure a level playing field that provides for equal treatment, and non-discrimination, of drivers and operators of EMS, Member States should guarantee that these certifications are mutually recognised in the concerned Member States.
Maximum authorised dimensions for vehicles
Members proposed to allow 44 tonnes (instead of 42 tonnes) for two-axle motor vehicles with a three-axle semi-trailer involved in intermodal transport operations.
Revenues
In order to make progress in the green and digital transitions and to comply with the objectives set in the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, particularly as regards the GHG emission reductions from the transport sector, Member States should be encouraged to use the revenues generated from the penalties applicable to the infringements of this Directive, or the equivalent in financial value of those revenues, to support the uptake of sustainable transport means and hence mitigate the external costs generated by transport operations, encourage intermodality, and increase the sustainability of cross-border transport operations.
Reporting
By 2027, and every 4 years thereafter, the Commission should present a report to the European Parliament and to the Council, on the application of this Directive. The report should contain a detailed assessment of the evolution of national and international road transport.
In addition, the report should analyse the use of the Intelligent Access Policy (IAP) schemes in regards to enforcement, taking into account their availability and cost-efficiency. Furthermore, the report should inform on technological advancements in the area of road transport which are relevant, including with regards to new technologies or new concepts and aerodynamic devices, as well as trailers or semi-trailers with zero-emission technology.