ESTA stepped up its lobbying work in March with a series of top-level meetings in Brussels with the aim of ensuring that the recent progress on reforming the rules and regulations government heavy and abnormal transport continues.
The meetings were arranged by ESTA’s lobbyist and EU adviser Margareta Przybyla and were attended by ESTA Director Ton Klijn and newly arrived policy officer Miguel Florez de la Colina.
Top of the agenda was the proposed reforms to the EU’s Weights and Dimensions Directive (96/53) – changes that are crucial to the long-term health of Europe’s heavy and abnormal transport sector.
The planned revisions to the directive include the Europe-wide adoption of the standard SERT documentation for abnormal load vehicle registration – a move that ESTA has supported for many years.
SERT, the Special European Registration for Trucks and Trailers, is intended to reduce the paperwork and bureaucracy faced by the industry.
Other measures include:
• a ‘one stop shop’ per country for permits
• standardised permit application forms
• use of electronic permits
• harmonisation of escorting rules and vehicle markings
• a ban on language requirements for drivers
• permitting systems to be available in all EU languages
ESTA had hoped that the reforms would receive final approval during the current Polish Presidency which ends in June but Brussels’ insiders now say that oversight of the changes to the directive is now likely to be the responsibility of Denmark that takes over the Presidency in July.
ESTA’s meetings focussed on trying to ensure that relevant MEPs and officials – including those at DG Move – are aware of the needs of the heavy and abnormal transport sector and that the momentum for change is not lost as a result of personnel changes.
The ESTA team also attended a conference held by ESPORG – the European Secure Parking Organisation of which ESTA is a member – as part of our long-standing campaign to develop safe and professional parking facilities across Europe for heavy and abnormal transport.
Ton Klijn said: “The meetings were extremely useful in giving us the opportunity to state our case in person and to stress the importance of the reforms not just for our members but for the wider European industries that use our service.
“We remain cautiously optimistic that the reforms will, eventually, be delivered”