Objectives of Road Initiatives

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1 Henrik Hololei Road Transport Conference Conclusions and way forward 19/4/2016 Introduction Ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. It is a pleasure for me to be here to conclude on this important Road Transport Conference. I am very pleased to see the high level of participation, which shows the importance of the road initiatives for the sector. All your inputs and views are most important for the Commission, which has to strike the balance in its proposals. Also the discussions today, both in the workshops and in the panel, have been very fruitful and have provided useful input to the Commission. Objectives of Road Initiatives Commissioner Bulc already presented the road initiatives this morning. Let me briefly recall their objectives: A well-functioning internal market for road transport 1

2 A cleaner environment by decarbonising transport, and in particular road transport Ensure respect of rights of workers More generally, it is the objective to improve the efficiency and compliance of road transport via innovation and increased used of digital technologies. Modern technologies are providing new opportunities and we need to reap the benefits of these for the sector. Conclusions Now, coming to the main conclusions of today's conference, let me briefly summarise in line with the objectives of the road initiatives: A well-functioning internal market for road transport The initial evaluations of the current legislation of the Commission identified remaining issues hindering a wellfunctioning internal market for road transport. These issues related to the presence of letterbox companies, differing national interpretations of current rules leading to fragmentation (including rules on cabotage) and uneven monitoring/enforcement of EU rules. The solution in many occasions is not new legislation but rather to enforce existing rules better. This is fully in line with the better regulation agenda of the Commission. 2

3 From a general perspective, these findings have been confirmed by participants today. It has been said that current market rules in road transport are sufficient in scope but that clarification and simplification is needed. Simplification is a particular goal of the Commission and of DG MOVE, where we need to make progress. It has also been broadly confirmed that current rules on cabotage are unclear or unenforceable. Some participants were worried about abuses of the rules. The discussion on whether current cabotage rules should be relaxed, maintained or made stricter is still ongoing. The Commission will perform a careful analysis and reflect on a balanced solution. As regards vehicles of less than 3.5 tonnes, many participants supported that EU rules should be extended to these vehicles. The Commission has taken due note of the main concern of participants on possible administrative burdens of such an extension of EU rules. This challenge is also at the heart of the better regulation and important for the level playing field. Finally, several participants highlighted the need to have common and fair rules for access to the national passenger markets. There was a call to review the outdated rules on the use of hired vehicles. 3

4 Ensure respect of rights of workers The initial evaluations of the Commission found that certain rules in force are not sufficiently clear, which has given rise to different interpretations of EU rules and diverging enforcement practices between Member States. This has been confirmed by the views expressed today. Some participants also requested more flexible rules. The issue of minimum wages was discussed. Many participants voiced that the current situation is unsatisfactory and that the application of the Posting of Workers Directive to transport should be clarified. As you well know, the Commission proposal of 8 March revising this directive announced that the matter shall be clarified in sector specific legislation. We will analyse this issue in the course of the Impact Assessment. Your views in the context of the public consultations will be very important for the Commission. A cleaner environment by decarbonising transport Our discussion today has confirmed that road charging can be an effective instrument to incentivise the use of cleaner vehicles and to decarbonise transport It has been pointed out that distance-based tolls are more effective in implementing the user and polluter pays principles. These are important principles for the whole 4

5 decarbonisation agenda, and we can expect these principles to be applied more widely in future transport policies for the sake of the environment and for financing purposes. The issue of quality of road has also been discussed. It has been said that reinvestment of toll revenues is essential for the acceptability of road tolls. The Commission has taken note and will reflect further on this matter, while taking account of views of national Finance Ministries. As regards the lack of interoperability of tolling systems, there has been a general understanding that the current situation is far from ideal. Technologies are generally available, also for Intelligent Transport Services, but not properly interlinked to offer the highest added value. Interoperability is key to the success of the pan-european tolling systems, which can avoid excessive burdens on trucks and other vehicles. One on-board unit should be sufficient. The Commission will analyse different options to this end in the upcoming Impact Assessment. As regards price signals, there has been an interesting discussion on the possibility to provide further incentives to cleaner trucks. This would at the same time contribute to reduce the fuel bill and to the aim of decarbonising transport. 5

6 Way forward We are only at the beginning of the legislative process, at the stage of the so-called ex-post evaluations. Your inputs today have therefore been very valuable in guiding us as from this early stage of the process. We will now start our work on the impact assessments and we will launch public consultations during the next months; let me insist that we very much encourage you to provide your views and inputs during the public consultations, so that we can make well-targeted and well-balanced legislative proposals. End of conference This brings us to the end of the conference. I hope it has been as valuable for you as it has been for the Commission. I am personally very pleased with the broad interest and active involvement from stakeholders in the Road Initiatives, which are known to be very active. It is indeed by working closely together on these that we will be able to establish a well-functioning, fair and clean road transport sector in the EU. Let's all work together! I wish you all a safe and pleasant return. 6