An urgent and unexpected discussion among decision makers on proposed revisions of the European Union’s Weights and Dimensions Directive is to take place this Wednesday in Brussels (October 15).
In order to secure presence of key stakeholders around the table, ESTA has decided to postpone the previously planned High Level Debate to discuss the significant role that heavy and abnormal transport plays in Europe’s economy and security.
Organisations representing Europe’s transport sector – including ESTA – hope that the meeting between decision makers is a sign of the importance that the current Danish Presidency of the EU attaches to the role of heavy and abnormal transport.
ESTA has also pointed to the need to ensure that measures contained in the revised directive and the European Commission’s White Paper for European Defence are properly coordinated.
In another positive sign, ESTA’s proposed amendments to the European Parliament draft report on military mobility have been successfully tabled and accepted for discussion
ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “Of course we are disappointed that the High-Level Debate has had to be postponed.
“But at the same time, we appreciate the moves to press ahead with the revisions of the Weights and Dimensions directive that contain several significant and important measures that ESTA and our industry have been requesting for many years.”
In August, ESTA wrote to the European Commission in support of the White Paper’s measures on military mobility – but said that to be effective the policy needs to be backed up by action to minimise bureaucracy and harmonize national standards for heavy and abnormal transport.
The White Paper sets out seven priority areas which are critical to build a robust European defence, including the need to facilitate military mobility “though an EU-wide network of land corridors, airports, seaports and support elements and services”.
This has added huge weight to ESTA’s long running calls for Europe both to sharply increase investment in infrastructure and develop a network of connected heavy transport corridors on which that investment could be focussed.
These corridors could follow the trans-European road network and also include roads of high economic relevance such as roads to industrial areas and ports.