JOINT INDUSTRY CALL IN SUPPORT OF SSTPA’S
Following the European Commission’s announcement of the results of the second Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) call for funding, a joint letter – supported by CLECAT - was sent to and Commissioner Valean and Members of the European Parliament TRAN Committee to express concern about the record low number of truck parking projects selected for funding.
The signatories call on the European Commission, Members of the European Parliament and EU Member States to ensure all appropriate conditions are met to reach the milestone objective of building 100,000 safe and secure parking spots for trucks by 2030. They also urge applicants to step up their efforts to further improve the quality of their applications by starting to prepare their dossiers sufficiently in advance, accompanying their applications with a solid feasibility study, providing a detailed and solid financial plan, and guaranteeing the timely obtention of a building permit, to ensure that any high quality and mature project is selected for funding.
CLECAT Director General Nicolette van der Jagt said: “We look forward to the results of the upcoming SSTPA study, to be launched by the European Commission, to provide all public and private stakeholders with much needed information on where SSTPAs are most needed in view of cargo flows, which will be key to improve drivers’ security and working conditions. The creation of a decent SSTPA network across the EU will also depend on the objectives set out in the TEN-T regulation, currently in negotiations between the Parliament and Council. It is therefore crucial that co-legislators agree on an ambitious text regrading SSTPA requirements, at least matching the Commission's proposal on building SSTPA every 100km along the TEN-T core network.”
The full letter is accessible via this link.