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The European Commission has decided not to withdraw its proposal to revise the Combined Transport Directive, according to UIRR. The decision, reportedly taken at the end of July, brings an end to several months of uncertainty over the future of the file.  CLECAT, together with UIRR, ESC, CEFIC, ECTA and BusinessEurope, was among the organisations advocating for the proposal to be retained and has called for the legislative work to resume.

The revision seeks to modernise the current Directive, which dates from 1992, and strengthen support for freight operations combining road transport with rail, inland waterways or short-sea shipping. The Commission proposal would replace the existing distance-based eligibility criteria with a requirement that an operation reduce external costs by at least 40% compared with road-only transport.

This approach has, however, proved difficult for Member States on issues related to the definition of Combined Transport and the proposal’s target for Member States to reduce the average door-to-door cost of combined transport by at least 10% within seven years.

With the proposal remaining on the table, the European Parliament and Council can continue their work. The challenge will now be to find a simpler and workable framework that gives operators legal certainty and makes combined transport more competitive with road-only operations.

The above associations will continue working towards a pragmatic solution that reduces the costs of combined transport and improves its operational efficiency and competitiveness. In their joint position, they called for clear and verifiable eligibility criteria, harmonised rules across Member States, further digitalisation to reduce administrative burdens and effective national support measures.