Logistics: European Commission welcomes the provisional agreement on electronic freight transport

The European Commission welcomes the provisional agreement on electronic freight transport information reached yesterday between the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission had presented the proposal in May 2018 as part of the ‘Europe on the Move III’ proposal for safe, clean and efficient mobility. The new European rules can save an estimated 102 million working hours spent each year on managing paper documents, which is expected to translate into savings of €20-27 billion by 2040. The agreement will reduce the administrative burden on the transport sector and ease digital information flows, making freight transport more efficient and sustainable. Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said: “I am very happy that we were able to honour five years of excellent cooperation with the European Parliament and Council with a successful completion of the trilogue on electronic freight transport information. This is an important milestone for digitalisation, leading to greater efficiency of EU transport, and an important step in delivering our ‘Vision Zero Paper’.”The regulation will establish a harmonised, predictable and trusted environment for operators transporting goods and relevant authorities to communicate electronically.