EP RESOLUTION ON THE SAFETY OF TRUCK PARKING AREAS
On 25 October, the European Parliament’s Petitions (PETI) Committee adopted a resolution on the safety of truck parking areas in the EU, asking for more co-ordination among Member States to tackle criminality against drivers and their cargo, and for increased funding to improve facilities, with 31 votes in favour and 1 against.
MEPs consider the safety situation of truck parks in the EU alarming and their capacity insufficient, especially given that the EU industry is suffering from an acute driver shortage. Because crimes against drivers and their cargo are increasingly organised and cross-border in nature, law enforcement in EU Member States should coordinate across borders, and systematically report crimes to Europol to allow it to support Member States, argued the MEPs.
The text demands funding to create more parking lot capacity and improve the already existing facilities. It asks the Commission to mobilise funding from European Structural and Investment Funds and the Connecting Europe Facility, and consider revisions to the EU’s regulation on developing its cross-border transport network, TEN-T. In addition to upgrading truck park infrastructure, the EU should also introduce call systems for drivers to report crime to authorities without linguistic barriers, and set up tools allowing them to find and book secure parking areas.
CLECAT welcomes the adoption of the resolution, which addresses the significant shortage of parking areas in the EU, as outlined in the 2018 study on Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs), as well as the interrelated problems. To tackle this situation, the European Commission’s DG MOVE, in cooperation with the Expert Group on SSTPAs, has already taken significant steps in the creation of a Delegated Act on SSTPAs in the remit of the Driving and Rest Times Regulation, which is expected to be adopted by the Commission in December 2021. Moreover, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) published a funding call of €100 million as part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the development and upgrading of SSTPAs.
CLECAT has been an active member of the SSTPA Expert Group and strongly supports the EU SSTPA standard, to which it has contributed significantly during the drafting process. A harmonised EU Standard, containing clear and unambiguous rules on security, safety and comfort levels, will be key to successfully address the current shortcomings and will be the best way forward for Europe, to improve driver’s security and working conditions. The EU SSTPA standard will enhance transparency, build trust and facilitate private sector investments for SSTPAs, as they will be eligible to CEF funding, provided they fulfil the EU SSTPA Standards. CLECAT has a keen interest in advancing the standards for safe and secure truck parking areas in Europe, and is looking forward to additional measures targeted at ensuring the availability of safe, secure and high-quality parking areas for truck drivers.
Source: European Parliament