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On 5 May, the European Parliament adopted with a large majority a resolution on the impact of Russian’s illegal war against Ukraine on the EU transport and tourism sectors. MEPs recognise transport as a strategic tool for the EU to provide solidarity and support to Ukraine and its people.

On 10 May, CLECAT attended the third meeting of the EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) under the EU-UK Trade and Facilitation Agreement (TCA), which advises the EU Commission on the TCA implementation. The EU DAG discussed the progress made in implementing the TCA and reflected on possible future cooperation with the Commission, the TCA Civil Society Forum and the EU DAG counterpart in the UK.

Ahead of the vote on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) report on 17 May, CLECAT called on the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee to secure an effective CBAM and pave the way for its uniform and proper implementation, which will be indispensable for achieving CBAM’s goals as originally intended.

CLECAT calls on Members of the ENVI Committee to support the creation of a separate EU ETS for heating and road transport (ETS II) only if it enables to pursue the objectives of the European Green Deal and respects the ‘polluter-pays’ principle.

On 27 April, CLECAT participated in the meeting of the Digital Transport & Logistics Forum’s (DTLF) Subgroup 1 (Paperless Transport), which is the formal Commission Expert Group on the eFTI Regulation. Updates were given on the state of play of the eFTI implementation preparation, including on the implementing and delegated acts of the eFTI Regulation, as well as on the progress and next steps of the work carried out in the teams of Subgroup 1.

On 27 April, the European Commission proposed to suspend for one year import duties on all Ukrainian exports to the EU. The proposal would also see the suspension for one year of all EU anti-dumping and safeguard measures in place on Ukrainian steel exports. The proposal now needs to be considered and agreed by the European Parliament and the Council.

On 28 April, the UK government announced that no further import controls on EU goods will be introduced this year and that businesses can now stop their preparations for Phase 3 of the Border Operating Model, which was planned to roll out in July. The UK Government will publish a Target Operating Model in the Autumn that will set out how and when the UK will introduce an improved regime of border import controls. This new regime will apply equally to goods from the EU and goods from the Rest of the World, from the end of 2023.

The European Commission opened on 26 April a public consultation on the evaluation of the Directive 96/53/EC on weights and dimensions for heavy duty-vehicles. For reference, the Directive, sets out standards for the maximum weights and dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles used in national and international transport. As announced in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the revision of the Directive would help to make road transport more sustainable by making available sustainable alternatives and the right incentives to drive the transition.

On 26 April, the European Commission published a call for evidence for an amendment of the EU Slots Regulation, which should take into account the potential emergence of restrictive measures related to COVID-19, as well as to address the closure of airspace as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The call for evidence will remain open until 24 May.