Overview
The EU aims to make transport more sustainable by promoting an efficient and interconnected multimodal transport system for freight. This approach, known as multimodal or intermodal transport, can reduce reliance on road transport and lower pollution, while increasing the efficiency of transport operations.
To support greater use of multimodal and intermodal solutions, the European Commission promotes targeted investments into infrastructure through the Connecting Europe Facility, aimed at better interconnections between single modal networks.
Legal framework
Combined Transport (CT) Directive
The Combined Transport Directive is a key part of this policy, aiming to increase the competitiveness of intermodal transport. This involves moving goods using a combination of modes, such as rail, short sea shipping or inland waterway transport, with a limited distance road legs. Combined transport offers the flexibility of road transport for the first and last legs of a journey, promoting that any location in the EU could be reached, while using more environmentally friendly modes like rail or inland waterways for the main leg of the journey.
The Directive promotes combined transport operations for freight, through the elimination of authorisation procedures and restrictions for combined transport operations, and by clarifying the non-application of road cabotage restrictions on road legs. It also provides financial support through fiscal incentives for certain operations.
The Commission has proposed to modernise the Directive three times, with the first attempt to amend it in 1998. However, no agreement was reached between the co-legislators on the update. In 2017, following a fit-for-purpose evaluation and an impact assessment, the Commission made a new proposal to amend the Combined Transport Directive. However, as the amendments put forward by the co-legislators risked reducing the support for intermodal operations, the Commission withdrew the proposal in 2020 and announced that a new, more ambitious proposal would be presented. Following a new impact assessment, the Commission presented a revised proposal in 2023, aiming to overhaul the eligibility conditions of the current Directive, and focusing on simplification and digitalisation. An agreement on the revised proposal by the co-legislators has not been achieved to date. Therefore, the Commission proposed in its Work Programme for 2026 to withdraw this proposal, pending currently comments from co-legislators.
The CT Directive is supported by other EU policies, such as the Weights and Dimensions Directive (Directive (EU) 2015/719 amending Council Directive 96/53/EC), which requires Member States to permit use of heavier and longer vehicles if transporting intermodal load units by road when used in intermodal transport operations.
Derogation from article 4 of the Combined Transport Directive
The Regulation (EU) 1055/2020 (part of Mobility Package 1) established a possibility for Member States to apply the cabotage quotas in article 8 of Regulation (EU) 1072/2009 to road legs of international combined transport when those road legs do not cross a border. Such numerical limitations may be slightly different from those applying to road-only transport as established in the Regulation. However, such derogation from article 4 of Combined Transport Directive can only be applied where it is necessary to avoid misuse. Member States that wish to use the derogation have to notify the Commission of their intent and review the measure at least every 5 years.
The following Member States have notified the Commission that they intend to use the derogation: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Slovakia. The Commission is currently analysing these notifications.
Studies
The European Commission has conducted several studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the Combined Transport Directive and related policies.
- In 2014, a study on EU combined transport market and two stakeholder consultations concluded that support for combined transport is perceived as very important by stakeholders in order to be able to support modal shift. The contributions received in the public consultation are summarised in a report. Based on the study, a REFIT (Regularly Fitness and Performance Programme) evaluation of the Combined Transport Directive was carried out that concluded that the Directive remains necessary, but requires updating.
- In 2016-2017, the data on intermodal and combined transport was updated with the study updating EU combined transport data and the study gathering additional data on EU combined transport, as well as a renewed stakeholder consultation, with results summarised in this report.
- In 2022, the Commission carried out a comparative evaluation of transhipment technologies in intermodal transport and their costs assessing how the use of different technologies and techniques for transhipment impacts the cost and competitiveness vis-à-vis road-only long distance transport of intermodal freight operations.
Improving terminal capacity in the EU
The TEN-T Regulation establishes new rules on multimodal transport terminals in the EU. By 19 June 2027, Member States must assess whether the transhipment capacity on their territory is sufficient for future needs and prepare an action plan by 19 June 2028 to address shortcomings identified.
To support this effort, the Commission has carried out an assessment of the modal shift potential to intermodal and multimodal transport in the EU, to identify areas in the EU where terminal density is low and where the road-only transport flows are sufficiently large to possibly make investment into terminals commercially interesting. The study, and in particular its annexes serves as a starting point for Member States’ own analysis, while establishing a common approach that would allow drawing EU-level conclusions at a later stage.