SP(2021)34

Regulation 2020/2224
OJ L 437 28.12.2020, p. 0074

00065/2020/LEX

The European Parliament adopted by 680 votes to 4, with 3 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules ensuring basic road freight and road passenger connectivity following the end of the transition period mentioned in the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.

The proposal is part of a package of temporary contingency measures to alleviate some of the major disruptions that will occur on 1 January 2021 in the event that an agreement with the United Kingdom is not yet reached.

Its objective is to establish temporary measures to regulate the carriage of goods by road and the provision of regular and special regular passenger services between the EU on the one hand and the United Kingdom on the other hand following the end of the transitional period referred to in the withdrawal agreement.

These measures are intended to maintain basic connectivity for a strictly limited period of 6 months (until 30 June 2021) provided that the UK provides the same guarantees to EU carriers.

Parliament adopted its position at first reading in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, giving its support to the proposal.

However, the amended text underlines that after the transitional period and in the absence of a future agreement governing road freight transport between the Union and the United Kingdom, disruptions to traffic flows are likely to occur, particularly at border crossing points which are few in number and where additional checks on vehicles and their loads need to be carried out.

Such disruptions could lead to situations with a negative impact on critical supply chains which are deemed to be necessary to manage the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce the extent of such disruptions, United Kingdom road haulage operators should temporarily be allowed to perform a limited number of additional operations within the territory of the Union in the context of operations between the United Kingdom and the Union. Their vehicles would then not have to return to the United Kingdom immediately and would be less likely to be empty when returning to the United Kingdom, which would reduce the overall number of vehicles and hence the pressure at the border crossing points.

The amended text stipulates that following laden journeys from the territory of the UK to the territory of the Union, hauliers would be allowed to carry out, within seven days of unloading on Union territory, a maximum of two additional loading and unloading operations on Union territory during a period of two months from the first day of application of the Regulation, and one operation within seven days of unloading on Union territory during the following three months.

T9-0386/2020

PURPOSE: to lay down temporary measures to govern the carriage of goods by road as well as the provision of regular and special regular passenger transport services between, on the one side, the Union and the United Kingdom from the end of the transitional period referred to in the withdrawal agreement.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: this proposal is part of a package of contingency measures to prepare for a possible scenario of no agreement between the Union and the United Kingdom after the end of the transitional period.

At the end of the transition period, and in the absence of any special provision, all rights and obligations ensuing from Union law in respect of market access would be ended, insofar as the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Union and its Member States is concerned.

In such a situation, the international transport of goods and passengers by road between the Union and the United Kingdom would be severely disrupted.

PURPOSE: the present proposal thus has the objective to lay down temporary measures to govern the carriage of goods by road as well as the provision of regular and special regular passenger transport services between, on the one side, the Union and, on the other side, the United Kingdom following the end of the transition period referred to in the withdrawal agreement. These measures are intended to maintain basic connectivity for a strictly time-limited period of 6 months (until 30 June 2021) provided that the UK provides the same guarantees to EU carriers.

The proposal provides for:

- the unilateral granting of rights for bilateral carriage to road haulage operators established in United Kingdom so that they can continue to carry goods between their territory and the Union;

- the unilateral granting of rights for the bilateral carriage of passengers by coach and bus as part of regular or special regular services to bus and coach operators established in the United Kingdom so that they can continue to carry passengers between their territory and the Union;

- the unilateral granting of rights to pick up and set down passengers in the border region of Ireland in the course of international regular and special regular services between Ireland and the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland.

In addition, the proposal:

- makes rights granted to United Kingdom road operators subject to conformity with the relevant Union law applicable to road freight and road passenger transport operators and equivalent rights being granted by the United Kingdom to Union road operators;

- lays down a mechanism to ensure that the rights enjoyed by EU road operators in the United Kingdom are equivalent to those granted to United Kingdom road operators under the proposed Regulation. If that is not the case, the Commission is empowered to adopt the necessary measures to correct the situation by means of delegated acts;

- lays down a flexible mechanism to ensure that Union road haulage operators and coach and bus service operators enjoy fair and equal opportunities to compete with United Kingdom road haulage operators and coach and bus service operators.

COM(2020)0826
EUR-Lex