Promoting efficient, safe and green land transport
What does EU road transport policy want to achieve? Have a look at our web portal: "A Road Transport Strategy for Europe".
The aim of the European Union’s land transport policy is to promote mobility that is efficient, safe, secure and environmentally friendly.
The EU’s policy objectives for road transport are therefore to promote efficient road freight and passenger transport services, to create fair conditions for competition, to promote and harmonise safer and more environmentally friendly technical standards, to ensure a degree of fiscal and social harmonisation, and to guarantee that road transport rules are applied effectively and without discrimination.
The existing legislation applying to road transport services establishes common rules on access to the profession and to the market, sets minimal standards for working time, driving time and rest periods (including enforcement and the use of tachograph (devices) for professional road transport, and sets minimum annual vehicle taxes, as well as common rules for tolls and user charges for heavy goods vehicles. Moreover, it harmonises the maximum weights and dimensions of road vehicles. The Commission also promotes increasing the number of safe parking areas along the trans-European road network.
The most recent developments in the road transport market are described in the Road Freight Transport Vademecum (September 2011) and the most relevant statistics are available in the Transport PocketBook. In addition, the Commission adopted its Report on the State of the Union Road Transport Market (COM(2014)222) in April 2014.
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Road safety: 20,640 people died in a road crash last year – progress remains too slow
The 20,640 deaths on EU roads last year represented a 4% increase in relation to 2021, as traffic levels recovered after the pandemic.
Excellence in Road Safety Awards: European Commission rewards best road safety projects
The Commission is hosting the 2023 Excellence in Road Safety Awards. The awards recognise the best contributions by the European Road Safety Charter's community of organisations, authorities and companies towards safer roads across Europe.
Call for applications for the selection of members of a sub-group to the Expert Group on Road Infrastructure Safety
Call for applications for the selection of members of the sub-group to the Expert Group on Road Infrastructure Safety entitled "Forgiving roadsides and self explaining and self enforcing roads".
Road Transport: Commission proposes to adapt rules on driving and rest times for drivers of occasional bus and coach services
The Commission today proposed to adapt EU rules on breaks and rest periods for drivers to better reflect the nature of occasional bus and coach services. Drivers in this sector have a different work rhythm compared to those in freight or regular passenger transport.
Road transport emissions: Road charging advantages for efficient trailers
The Commission proposes to take into account the effect of trailers on the CO2 emissions of heavy-goods vehicles in road charging schemes that differentiate tolls based on vehicles’ CO2 emissions.
Reducing transport emissions: Commission adopts guidelines to improve vehicle inspections
The European Commission today published a recommendation to improve the periodical technical inspection of vehicles.