CER Position Paper - Commission proposal COM(2017)648 amending Directive 92/106/EEC on combined transport

Road-rail combined transport services play a major role in the rail freight business and in the wider freight transport sector. Intermodal rail freight is a growing segment and accounts for more than 20% of the total rail freight. It grew by 43% in the period 2005-2015. The Combined Transport Directive 92/106/EEC provides the legislative framework at EU level for these services, acknowledging its specificities and enabling regulatory advantages and incentives.

In this context, CER supports the objective of the proposal COM(2017)648, which is to “further increase the competitiveness of combined transport compared to long-distance road freight and therefore strengthen the shift from road freight to other modes of transport”.

The proposed revision includes a number of positive aspects and is broadly supported by CER members. At the same time, some proposed amendments need further consideration in order to avoid unintended consequences that would prevent rather than incentivise modal shift from road to rail. Furthermore, CER members believe that this revision provides an opportunity to speed-up and simplify the state aid procedures aimed at providing public financial support to combined transport operations.

Read more in this CER position paper.