Operators’ views sought on EU’s impact on transport
The Department for Transport has issued a call for evidence on how European Union policies impact on the UK transport sector, as part of a wider audit of the effects of EU membership on Britain.
The DfT is requesting “objective, factual information” on the EU’s effect on transport by 6 August, from “anyone with relevant knowledge, expertise or experience”, and from all four corners of the UK.
The EU’s powers to legislate for the UK road transport sector and related industries are wide-ranging, and are exercised to varying degrees. They cover areas as diverse as Driver CPC, cabotage policy, competition law, roadworthiness checks, drivers’ hours and working time rules, road infrastructure safety, exhaust emissions regulation, the uptake of biofuels, noise pollution, road charging, and vehicle technical standards.
In a video on the gov.uk website promoting the consultation, the DfT says: “The EU has sought to open up competition in road haulage, create common safety standards and reduce the impact on the environment.
“For example, European law says lorries from EU countries can pick up and deliver goods anywhere in the EU. Is it fair for an operator from one country to get business in another? The EU also specifies drivers’ hours and rest periods – is it right that the same standards apply in all EU countries? Is the approach too bureaucratic and costly for hauliers trying to run their businesses profitably, or justified in ensuring drivers’ safety?
Philip Rutnam, permanent secretary at the DfT, concludes the video by saying: “It’s not every day you get the chance to have your say on something as complex as the European Union’s influence on transport. But we really do want to hear from you. So I would encourage everyone who operates or uses transport services to take full advantage of this unique opportunity by telling us what you think.”
Issues on which the DfT is seeking views include the advantages and disadvantages to the UK of EU action on transport; the costs and benefits of the EU internal transport market; the role of the EU in harmonising social and environmental standards; the balance between the interests of transport operators and consumers; whether the EU’s approach to exercising its powers has been proportionate; and whether the UK national interest would be better served by action at a national or international level.
In its consultation document, the DfT said: “Our approach to the development of EU transport policy is… to encourage the maintenance and enforcement of internal market rules; to support further common action where this will help economic growth and otherwise add value; while opposing unjustified regulatory burdens on business and governments, and measures that should be taken at national or local level.
“Legislation creating the single market for transport services can and does benefit the UK (and other member states) where it facilitates cheaper and more efficient movement of goods and people across the EU. For example… the introduction of greater competition in the road haulage industry has supported greater and more efficient trade in goods.
“There are also a number of benefits that can come from common levels of consumer protection, better safety and security, and improved interoperability of transport systems across the EU. For example, we have seen a series of EU measures that support UK carbon reduction objectives, particularly in aviation and for road vehicles.
“Nevertheless, the broad range of common standards across the EU may also create some disadvantages where they are disproportionate, or prevent member states from taking measures targeted to national or local circumstances which could be more effective.
“For example, in the area of driver vehicle and testing requirements there has been some debate about what needs to be standardised at EU level… and whether greater levels of harmonisation are proportionate.”
The wider, cross-departmental ‘review of the balance of competences’ between the EU and UK, which was launched by the foreign secretary William Hague last July as part of a coalition commitment, aims to consult a variety of stakeholders, including businesses, to examine the practical consequences of the EU’s powers across all policy areas.
It falls against a backdrop of considerable domestic political unrest regarding the UK’s place in Europe, with prime minister David Cameron struggling to placate both Liberal Democrat coalition partners and Conservative backbenchers on the issue of an EU ‘in/out’ referendum, and Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party making significant gains in the May local elections.
The DfT consultation can be accessed at the URL below.
An online response form can be found at:
