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Updated: More ECMT permits for Euro V trucks

[ March 4, 2019   //   ]

The UK has been granted additional ECMT permits for Euro V vehicles, with a new application window was due to open from 5 to 16 March, says the Department for Transport.
However, in the event of a no deal Brexit the European Commission has published proposals that would allow UK hauliers to continue to operate in the EU until the end of 2019, without the need for an ECMT permit.
Further information on the new permits is at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ecmt-international-road-haulage-permits#apply-for-permits
The FTA welcomed the agreement – which still needs to be formally confirmed – but said it still left hauliers with much to consider. European policy manager, , as Sarah Laouadi, said that the announcement will give some respite to hauliers concerned about the future of their businesses, “but is far from offering frictionless operating conditions and should still be viewed in light of the threat posed to the UK’s trading relationships by a No Deal departure from the EU.
“The offer is only valid for nine months from Brexit date, could be revoked unilaterally by the EU without any appeal mechanism, and would not provide the same levels of access as UK hauliers currently enjoy. Shippers have come to rely on fully flexible logistics operators, who can move goods as and when necessary, but this would not be possible under the contingency approved. For instance, cabotage rights in the EU would be limited significantly, and progressively reduced during the nine month period under review, with no cabotage rights at all in the final two months of the contingency period. This would have a significant impact on those businesses trading in Europe as they return to the UK.”
Laouadi added: “Logistics businesses are still left wondering about future arrangements on customs and regulatory requirements and border delays, key areas of concern which FTA has been lobbying on since Article 50 was triggered.”

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