While vehicles provide economic and societal benefits, they come with a sizeable carbon footprint. The European Green Deal is a chance for car manufacturers to make their processes more circular, write Maya Ben Dror and Tilmann Vahle.
The members of the EEA Council held a video conference on 28 May 2021 at the initiative of Mr Augusto Santos Silva, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal. The video conference was attended by Mr Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development Cooperation of Iceland, Ms Ine Eriksen Søreide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway and Ms Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, as well as by representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service. Following the videoconference, the members of the EEA Council adopted a joint statement.
The EU uptake of electric vehicles is increasing, with 550,000 new registrations in 2019 compared to 300,000 in 2018. According to the European Environmental Agency, this is in line with the EU’s emissions reduction objective in the transport sector. Of course, the uptake of electric vehicles varies significantly from country to country, and not surprisingly, the region of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is at the bottom.
In 2019 battery and electric hybrid vehicles accounted for less than .6% of newly registered EVs in Slovakia, less than .5% in the Czech Republic and Poland, and for the leader of the Visegrad 4 pack, Hungary, clocked in at nearly 1.7%. The Baltic States are similarly near .5%, with Romania and Bulgaria around 1%.
Crossing borders 15 April 2021
Earlier this year, changes to Germany’s VEMAGS online permit system came into effect. Could these changes hinder international competition? Sotiris Kanaris talks to ESTA Director Ton Klijn.
Despite most countries being part of the same Union, cross-border heavy transport in Europe is complex. This is because abnormal load transport regulation is decided by each national government, and there is a lack of coordination between them.
“The result is a plethora of rules, all set up and executed in national languages,” says Ton Klijn, director of the European mobile crane and special transport association ESTA.
The European directive 96/53 concerned with the harmonisation of road regulations just specifies the sizes and weights vehicles have to comply with. Anything exceeding that is left to national governments to regulate.
Skuodis: some provisions of Mobility Package undermine the principles of the EU single market
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Commenting on the Governmentâs decision taken today to join other countries in the EU Court of Justice proceedings against the Mobility Package regulating the carriersâ activity, Minister of Transport of Communications Marius Skuodis stated that Lithuania upholds a consistent position with regard to the application of the European Union internal market principles and shall take all legal measures to protect the countryâs carriersâ interests.
Asociatyvioji nuotr.
âLithuania supports the fundamental principles of the Mobility Package, i. e. improving social conditions of the drivers and ensuring road transport efficiency and sustainability; however, some provisions such as returning a truck every 8 weeks to the country of registration or the restrictions on cabotage (national carriage in the EU), undermine the principles of the EU single market and