European truck makers urge agreement on weights and dimensions proposal
The commercial vehicles arm of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) continues to push for policy makers’ to find a workable agreement on the proposed revision of the 96/53/EC Directive on the weights and dimensions of trucks.
At a trialogue meeting yesterday evening, policy makers from the European Commission, Council and Parliament were unable to come to a conclusion on the key Weights and Dimensions Directive revision.
The main issue at stake is the date at which the legislation should be implemented. It is understood that the European Commission refused to accept the Council’s consensus position of a five year period for implementation after the technical requirements have been defined and the Directive is transposed into national law, a position which reflects understanding of the sector’s economic realities and is supported by ACEA.
Speaking after the meeting, ACEA Secretary General Erik Jonnaert said, “Lack of agreement risks pushing the dossier back into a Second Reading, which could delay the improvements industry seeks to make by years”.
Mr Jonnaert focused on competitiveness issues that the lack of agreement causes, saying “Policy makers need to take into account the need for fairness and consistency in the application of new rules, particularly where legislative changes may have divergent impacts on some players in the commercial vehicle market.”
