20 August 2021

REVISION OF THE COMBINED TRANSPORT DIRECTIVE ON ITS WAY

On 19 August, the European Commission published the inception Impact Assessment for the revision of the Combined Transport Directive (Directive 92/106/EEC). The revision of the CT Directive will be carried out in an integrated approach with a number of other policies, including, inter alia, the planned revisions of the TEN-T Guidelines and the Rail Freight Corridors Regulation.

In reviewing the CT Directive, four policy options are being considered, including an extension of the support from today’s narrowly defined combined transport operations to all intermodal or multimodal operations that save certain negative externalities compared to road only transport based on a common calculation method, as well as the inclusion of a certain number of mandatory harmonised support measures, such as a support to transhipment costs or operational support per loading unit in intermodal transport provided to shippers/logistics operators.

CLECAT highly welcomes the revision of the CT Directive, which is outdated, ambiguous and creates barriers to the effective operation of combined transport. CLECAT believes that improving quality, including in network- and intermodal terminal capacity, are essential elements to ensure a successful market-driven modal shift. Considering the increased cost of combined- and multimodal transport compared to monomodal road-freight transport, providing the right incentives will be a key factor. This should include financial incentives, provided it does not lead to a distortion of competition, as well as a reduction of the administrative burdens. Additional non-financial incentives should be considered, including an effective system for the authorisation of heavier loads in cross-border operations, and most importantly an EU-level support for mixed train operations, as these suit better the current market reality and bear the potential to significantly improve services.

Achieving the European Commission’s modal shift ambitions will thus only be realistic if the right framework conditions are put in place. CLECAT, together with its members, is working on proposing an ambitious way forward to the European Commission, to ensure a successful multimodal transport framework in Europe, which will be key to green freight transport operations through a realistic and market-oriented approach.