CLECAT — 2023-09-08
News from Brussels
Policymakers went back to Brussels this week to resume legislative work before the end of the legislative term in 2024. A number of files which are important for CLECAT and its members will be discussed and voted in the coming weeks.
Presented in February 2023, the revision of the CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles will enter in the voting phase in the Parliament over the next weeks: the TRAN committee will vote on its opinion at its next meeting on 18-19 September, while the ENVI committee leading this file will adopt its report on 23 October. CLECAT continues to call on Members of Parliament (MEPs) to maintain the Commission ambition with regards to the CO2 targets, namely reducing emissions by 90% for new HDVs by 2040. It is also important that policymakers exclude the heaviest trucks out of the scope of the Regulation as their electrification potential is not sufficiently mature to decarbonise this type of vehicles with electric batteries or green hydrogen.
The TRAN Committee will be busy over the next months to negotiate the Greening Freight Package (CountEmissions EU, revision of Weights & Dimensions Directive, Rail Capacity Regulation). While rapporteurs and shadows are currently in the process of being appointed, CLECAT is currently finalising its policy responses which will drive our initiatives over the next weeks. In addition, we are looking forward for the publication of the revision of the Combined Transport Directive, expected this autumn, which is quite important for the consistency of the whole Package with the objective of maximising the operational efficiency of freight transport.
The revision of the Driving Licence Directive will also be dealt by the TRAN Committee. The Commission proposed interalia to allow early training of drivers as of 17 years old, an EU-wide increase of maximum vehicle weight for B licenses of alternatively fuelled vehicles to 4.25t, the introduction of digital driving licence and facilitate the recognition of third-country driving licences throughout the EU. CLECAT welcomed the Commission proposal and calls on policymakers to ensure that the main provisions of the proposal remain in the final text.
Finally, the revision of the Union Customs Code (UCC), presented by the Commission on 17 May, will be dealt by the IMCO Committee. The complexity of this file will be the main challenge for MEPs which will seek to adopt a sound and reasonable Customs Reform in the EU in view of the limited time before the end of the legislative term early 2024.
The agenda of the upcoming TRAN meeting can be found here. The IMCO committee agenda will be available here.