20.09.2024
On the 20th of September, FEPORT submitted its response to the public consultation concerning the draft Transport Block Exemption Regulation and the draft Land and Multimodal Transport Guidelines.
FEPORT reply welcomed the proposed texts as they depart from a holistic approach encompassing all sustainable transport modes as well as terminals.
In addition, FEPORT believes that the incorporation of interoperability aid aimed at ensuring uninterrupted traffic flows in the texts constitutes a positive signal as this type of aid will support coordination and efforts to establish intermodal data exchange platforms.
FEPORT’s position also stresses that creating relevant rules is not enough. Procedures to apply for aid should not be overly complex and accessible for companies. FEPORT therefore supports measures to reduce bureaucracy and simplify state aid procedures. Thresholds should not be set too low and possibly be linked to purchasing power indices. At the same time, economic operators should always be informed as early and comprehensively as possible about existing aid opportunities and implementing provisions.
FEPORT submission additionally makes the below recommendations aimed at further improving the texts:
- Eligibility criteria for aid to launch new commercial connections, should not be only based on distance covered per transport mode. Other factors such as operational costs, network capacity and the availability of terminals impact the competitiveness of transport options and should therefore be considered in the eligibility criteria;
- Aid for the construction, upgrade and renewal of multimodal freight terminals should also focus on the digital component;
- Definitions should be clarified in order to ensure that barges operating in seaports are also covered by the texts.