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On 15 April, six organisations - including Cefic, BusinessEurope, CLECAT, ECTA - European Chemical Transport Association, European Shippers' Council, and UIRR – issued a joint statement calling for a well-functioning Combined Transport framework. To ensure that the EU does not lose momentum on multimodal freight transport the associations jointly demand:

1. A rapid restart of legislative work on the revision of the Combined Transport framework, with the explicit objective of delivering legal clarity, harmonised application across Member States, the emergence of modern and digital CT service, as well as practical and effective incentives for increased uptake of CT.
2. A clear, stable, and easy to verify eligibility methodology for both operators and enforcement authorities.
3. Harmonisation across Member States by establishing a framework that provides legal certainty for cross border supply chains in line with Single Market principles.
4. Digitalisation to reduce administrative burden, including for reporting requirements, while supporting efficient enforcement.
5. Fast implementation of national policy measures accompanied by regular assessment of their effectiveness and uptake.

The joint statement emphasizes that a modern Combined Transport framework strengthens industrial competitiveness by enabling efficient and resilient supply chains, reducing congestion, and providing companies with a broader, more sustainable range of logistics solutions.  Revising the Combined Transport Directive is therefore essential to reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, enhance regulatory clarity, and accelerate the transition towards sustainable, multimodal freight transport in Europe.

The full statement is available here.