The European association of abnormal road transport and mobile cranes (ESTA) has published an updated position paper on military mobility as it prods Brussels to deliver on its promise of efficient and common heavy transport regulations for both military and industrial use.
With the paper sent to representatives of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move), the European Parliament and European Council at the end of last month, it strongly backs the EU’s recently published Military Mobility Package, but with some recommendations on how to improve them further and to ensure the measures are operationally practical.
ESTA said that it welcomes the inclusion of civilian abnormal road transport operators in the package, the proposed new transport provisions such as standard permitting procedure, as well as short deadlines for ad hoc procedures. However, the association emphasised the need for the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive to be finalised.
“We have written to our members asking them to share the position paper with their own national authorities, regulators and politicians as we try to ensure that this opportunity is not lost as the reforms are essential for Europe’s industrial success and military security,” said ESTA director Ton Klijn. “The transport of heavy and oversized military equipment relies on civilian operators and mobile cranes. Solutions limited to purely military assets will not work in practice.”
The paper stresses the need for fast and harmonised military transport permits within a single EU framework; targeted exemptions for civilian operators in crisis situations, such as exemption from traffic bans; driving and resting time rules to be made flexible and workable in emergencies; increased investment in dual-use infrastructure; and critical infrastructure to be clearly marked to indicate abnormal transport capacity.
It also calls for legal clarity for civilian transport companies and their operators and for civilian expertise to be integrated into governance bodies such as National Coordinators for Cross-Border Military Transport and the Military Mobility Transport Group.
The Military Mobility Package is currently being discussed by the European Parliament and the Council before entering the trilogue negotiations between the Parliament, the Council and the European Commission. In theory, the trilogue negotiations should help new EU laws be reached faster by unravelling differences before the formal legislative readings are completed, with each institution putting forward any amendments they wish to suggest.
“This work is extremely important, and we hope that all involved appreciate its urgency. ESTA will continue to actively advocate for finalising the work on the Military Mobility Package as soon as possible, and by the end of this year at the latest,” added Klijn.
HLPFI reported last week that the European Crane and Transport Operators’ Licence (ECTOL) had approved a dual-track training process for its new European Trailer Operator Licence (ETOL).
