EU Commissioner Tajani stops mega truck supporters

Publication date: 11 March 2009

European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani has for the present rejected plans for the possible introduction of longer, heavier vehicles (LHVs) in the near future. In an interview, published today on the website of the European campaign alliance NO MEGA TRUCKS, Tajani explained that it will be 2010 before a final decision on introducing mega trucks will be made on a European level. In addition, the salami tactics approved by high-ranking EU officials, which would initially involve a few EU member states allowing cross-border journeys by mega trucks measuring up to 25 metres and weighing as much as 60 tonnes, are neither compatible with current EU legislation nor desirable, according to Tajani. “The idea of bilateral agreements between Member States on such a question contradicts the idea of the Single Market and raises also questions about a possible distortion of competition.”

Nevertheless, there is no reason to give the all-clear, according to Martin Roggermann, the coordinator of the NO MEGA TRUCKS campaign, which now has the support of 139 European organisations: “The issue will become a hot topic again once the European elections are over. Several bureaucrats in Brussels are persistent supporters of LHVs, and they will not give up after the election. Furthermore, Sweden is taking over the presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2009, and they have already declared their intention to push hard on the European level to have mega trucks introduced as soon as possible.”

The background: Sweden is home to two major manufacturers of LHVs.

Europeans can breath a collective sigh of relief, at least until this autumn. “Tajani’s comments mean that for the present, mega trucks will not be allowed to cross borders from Sweden, the Netherlands or Denmark. The EU Commissioner’s clarification has provided us with legal reinforcements against these dangerous road monsters,” said Roggermann, adding that opposition to attempts by these countries to have LHVs introduced across Europe would be intensified. “In the run-up to the European elections we will be calling on politicians to admit where they stand on this issue.”

The European Commission had hoped that the latest study on the impact of introducing LHVs across Europe would help it reach a decision. Commenting on this point, Tajani said in his interview for the NO MEGA TRUCKS campaign: “The results of this study, which have been made available in January 2009, and the reactions they raised (positive and negative) indicate that we dispose today of a limited knowledge of the issue. Given this uncertainty, I can at present not support any change in the legislation in order to allow a general use of these vehicles.”

The campaign alliance NO MEGA TRUCKS was also sharply critical of the study, which was carried out by the private research company Transport & Mobility Leuven (TML) for the European Commission. Even though the study’s authors confirmed the safety risks posed by LHVs, the high cost to the taxpayer for the necessary infrastructure investments and the negative environmental impact, they still recommended that these vehicles should be permitted right across the European Union. This is a conclusion that the NO MEGA TRUCKS campaign considers to be incomprehensible and unprofessional.

---

Exclusive interview with EU Transport Commissioner Tajani on mega trucks

"I can at present not support any change in the legislation"

In the following online interview the NO MEGA TRUCKS Initiative asked Antonio Tajani about his position regarding mega trucks in Europe, bilateral agreements between Member States and the ongoing political process in Brussels. Mr Tajani is Vice-President of the European Commission and responsible for the EU transport policy.

NO MEGA TRUCKS: Mr Tajani, on January 22, 2009, the German journal Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung (DVZ) reported under the headline 'No EU License for 25m HGV“, that you had spoken out against Gigaliners. Is this true? Do you oppose longer HGVs?

Tajani: Last year, my services commissioned a study aiming at assessing the effects of the possible introduction of commercial freight vehicles which would be longer and heavier than presently allowed by Directive 96/53/EC which governs this domain.

The results of this study, which have been made available in January 2009, and the reactions they raised (positive and negative) indicate that we dispose today of a limited knowledge of the issue.

Given this uncertainty, I can at present not support any change in the legislation in order to allow a general use of these vehicles.

NO MEGA TRUCKS: In addition, it is said that the EU Commission wants to authorise bilateral agreements between Member States allowing Gigaliners. Is this a new strategy by the EU Commission after originally considering their EU-wide introduction?

Tajani: Some Member States accept the use of these vehicles within their national borders (as allowed under certain conditions by Directive 96/53/EC). However, the analysis of the legislation in force by our legal experts excludes the possibility of reading Directive 96/53/EC as allowing their cross-border use. The idea of bilateral agreements between Member States on such a question contradicts the idea of the Single Market and raises also questions about a possible distortion of competition.

NO MEGA TRUCKS: What are the next definite steps in the political process?

Tajani: We need to improve our knowledge of these vehicles before we can consider changing current legislation. Our Joint Research Centre in Sevilla, Spain, is improving the economic model that served as the basis for the study on longer and heavier commercial vehicles I mentioned earlier. The Centre will also be performing new and more detailed analyses and the results will then be discussed at a stakeholders' workshop this spring. The results will also be used to decide the terms of reference of another study we would like to launch, which will cover more technical questions about these Longer and Heavier Vehicles – LHVs.

It is unlikely that before 2010 at the earliest the Commission will have enough data to consider whether or not revising Directive 96/53/EC.

The interview was held by Martin Roggermann, coordinator of the Europe-wide Campaign “NO MEGA TRUCKS” in March 2009, it was published on 10 March 2009 on www.nomegatrucks.eu. The interview in German and English language is authorised by the European Commission

Source: No Mega Trucks Campaign