Brussels, Belgium: UK hauliers will not need ECMT permits for the first half of 2021 under contingency plans published by the European Commission.
The contingency measures, brought in because of the “significant uncertainty” around the fate of the Brexit negotiations, involve a proposal for a regulation covering “basic connectivity with regard to road freight for six months, providing the UK ensures the same”.
The Road Haulage Association immediately called the move “good news, as there are too few permits”. Logistics UK said that the move to preserve international road transport for six months “should provide a safety net for those who didn’t get ECMT permits”.
Brussels noted that failure to put in place a stopgap system for road hauliers would “would create unmanageable disruptions and pose a serious threat to EU interests”.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said a decision on the future of Brexit talks would be made on Sunday but for the UK to be granted access to the single market the “conditions have to be fair”
Sarah Laouadi, European Policy Manager, Logistics UK, said the contingency measures, if adopted in time, “will come as a welcome safety net for logistics businesses which have been unable to plan for the future, due to a lack of certainty on whether and how they will be able to operate in three weeks’ time”.
“However, six months is not a very long time in business, and for Logistics UK members, it is vital that negotiators return to the table to work out a free trade agreement between the UK and EU to ensure the security of their businesses and livelihoods in the years to come.
