On 27 November 2019, the European Commission has approved the provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council concerning electronic freight transport. The new rules are part of the Europe on the Move III package launched on 17 May 2018 by the Commission, which with the previous Europe on the Move I and Europe on the Move II packages represent a set of policies addressing many aspects of the mobility system including, among others, safer traffic for European citizens, less polluting vehicles and more advanced technological solutions.

Specifically, there will be both CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles and strategies for the development of a clean, connected, automated and safe mobility. With regard to the clean mobility, in particular, the European Commission has set as an indicative target, compared to 2019, a reduction of 15% of CO₂ emissions, reaching at least 30% by 2030. A regards connected, automated and safe mobility, the Commission aims at making the traffic safer by further reducing the number of road fatalities and by granting a fundamental role to the establishment of a digital environment for information exchange in freight transport.

The new regulation will save about 102 million working hours dedicated, over one year, on managing paper documents, achieving savings of €20-27 billion by 2040. Thanks to the agreement, it will be possible therefore to make freight transport more efficient and sustainable with simultaneous reduction of administrative burden, thus making a further step towards the innovation, digitalization and decarbonization of the European transport system.

Marco Stillo