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CLECAT calls on EU policymakers to maintain high ambitions and deliver on the whole Greening Freight Package, following the European Commission’s announcement in its 2026 Work Programme to withdraw the proposal for a revision of the Combined Transport Directive.

The revision of the Directive is expected to play a key role in promoting more efficient and sustainable freight transport across the EU. Therefore, CLECAT calls on the Commission not to withdraw the proposal for a revision of the Directive and urges co-legislators to continue working on the file to address its shortcomings, enhance the competitiveness of intermodal transport, and thereby strengthen the wider European economy. This remains a priority as the existing framework creates barriers to the effective operation of combined transport and does little to stimulate the shift from long-distance road freight to more sustainable modes.

CLECAT equally stresses the importance of maintaining high ambitions on the other key legislative files under the Greening Freight Package. The ongoing trilogue negotiations on the Rail Capacity Regulation offer a unique opportunity to strengthen rail freight efficiency and competitiveness by improving coordination of capacity across borders and enhancing network reliability. Also the ongoing trilogues regarding the CountEmissionsEU proposal are the opportunity to finally provide the tools enabling transport operators to accurately calculate, monitor and compare their emissions, facilitating behavioural change. Finally, the Council must reach an agreement over the revision of the Weights & Dimensions Directive, notably to allow higher weights for zero-emission vehicles and cross-border movements with heavier trucks allowed at national level, to reduce the inefficiencies of road freight transport and provide incentives to decarbonise the sector.

As highlighted in the recently published Work Programme, the Commission rightly notes that there remain too many structural brakes on Europe’s competitiveness, a point also emphasised in the Draghi Report. CLECAT believes that the Combined Transport Directive is a clear example of such a structural brake, as the current rules are outdated, ambiguous and create barriers between Member States. The existing framework creates barriers to the effective operation of combined transport and does little to stimulate the shift from long-distance road freight to more sustainable modes.