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Bulgarian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian haulage associations back Mobility Package changes

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Haulage associations from Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and Romania have written to the European Commissioner for Transport to request the “urgent annulment of the obligatory return home of the trucks every 8 weeks.”

Back in February, the European Union said it would enter discussions with member states, the EU Parliament and “all concerned parties” after studies showed its latest road transport Mobility Package is likely to increase CO2 emissions.

The news prompted anger from road transport associations in Denmark and the Netherlands in particular. The haulage associations from both countries are strongly against any changes to the current Mobility Package.

However, the likes of Belgium and Malta are trying to get the new rules, which force trucks to return to their country of origin every 8 weeks, scrapped.

Now the Bulgarian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish and Romanian haulage associations have joined the chorus of voices who want the obligatory return of trucks removed from the Mobility Package regulations.

In a joint statement, the haulage associations from the aforementioned countries said that the current Mobility Package “violates the freedom to provide services and the freedom to conduct a business.”

We consider the provision of obligatory return home of trucks as unjustified and discriminative. The new obligation has nothing to do with social purposes, but as being a market restriction step, it violates the freedom to provide services and the freedom to conduct a business, furthermore it goes against the climate protection efforts like the decrease of empty runs.


Photo credit: NotrucksNolife / Wikimedia Commons

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