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CLECAT published this week its policy responses with regards to some proposals of the Greening Freight Package, namely the CountEmissions EU initiative and the revision of the Weights & Dimensions Directive.

CLECAT welcomes the CountEmissions EU proposal as a timely initiative enabling transport operators to accurately calculate, monitor and compare their emissions giving transport users an estimate of the carbon footprint for their different transport and delivery options. As advocated by CLECAT, the Commission proposes to use the methodology established by the ISO 14083 standard. The initiative is also relevant for the effectiveness of other EU initiatives: an accurate measurement and reporting of GHG emissions from freight movement and logistics operations is expected to be one of the main elements of the upcoming revision of the Combined Transport Directive, in order to support companies in making better-informed freight transportation decisions and overall increase the sustainability of the supply chain.

CLECAT welcomes the proposal revising the Directive 96/53/EC on weights & dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles. While certain provisions of the proposal such as allowing cross-border operations of EMS vehicles is supported, CLECAT is concerned that some of the provisions would not permit to maximise the efficiency or road freight transport to its fullest, increasing the number of journeys and GHG emissions. As an example, the proposed new Article 4b allowing the use of 44-tonne HDVs running on fossil fuels in international road-only operations between Member States that accept such heavier vehicles in national operations is welcomed, but it should continue to apply after 2034, due to uncertainties with regards to the deployment of zero-emission technologies which will greatly rely on the outcome of the proceedings on the CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles. In addition, the Directive should indicate that Member States still have the possibility to authorise cross-border transport operations with heavier/longer vehicles between countries that allow their circulation in national traffic.

CLECAT now calls on the European Parliament and Council to swiftly negotiate and adopt the Commission proposals before the end of the legislative work due to the upcoming European elections in spring 2024. Further delaying these files undermines the efforts of the freight forwarding industry to implement behavioural change and decarbonise its activities.