The mobility package approved by the European Commission and the introduction of rules surrounding the return of vehicles to member states has sparked a lot of debate and raised questions about efficiency. However, throughout 2023, we’ve seen a lot of the controversy start to die down. In practice, the impact of these changes seemed almost non-existent – and in November, it also emerged that the European Court of Justice was likely to scrap the highly controversial repatriation vehicle element. The cancellation would provide trucking companies with greater flexibility in optimizing the deployment of internationally operated trucks (mostly registered in Central and Eastern European countries). As a result, we can start to see increasing gains in efficiency, although larger companies have also adapted.
Coastal navigation rules are also more restrictive within the navigation package, which is evident in the transportation activity. The four-day cooling-off period makes coastal navigation (a maximum of three domestic journeys in a seven-day time frame after an international journey) less attractive. As a result, total EU coastal navigation fell to 4.5% from 4.9% in 2022. The new rules are particularly relevant for Germany and Belgium, where seafaring levels are double the current average in Europe.
