The European Commission (EC) said it intends to withdraw amendments to the Combined Transport Directive, one of the pillars of the Greening Freight Package. “We are working hard to ensure that the dossier is not withdrawn within the next six months, as the Commission would be able to do”, the rapporteur of the Directive Flavio Tosi MEP told RailFreight.com
However, it is not (yet) time to worry, according to UIRR Director General Ralf-Charley Schultze. “The Commission just expressed an intention, it is not a legally binding decision. We’ll just have to wait and see what Tosi and the rest of the Parliament will manage to do”, Schultze said.
‘No public consultation’
In its Commission work 2026 programme, the EC said it wants to withdraw amendments on the “support framework for intermodal transport” and the “calculation of external cost savings and generation of aggregated data”. UIRR said it regrets this development, “about which the European Commission has not conducted any sort of public consultation”.
Tosim in addition, pointed out that the European Parliament already scheduled the presentation of a study, commissioned by the rapporteur himself, which “will provide an updated analysis of the situation of combined transport in Europe, providing new foundations for legislative work”. Another point raised by Tosi is that “the final decision will be up to the Commission, especially given the still divergent positions among Member States in the Council.”
Schultze, in addition, stressed the need for a long-term perspective, highlighting how Tosi and the TRAN committee should be given a chance before a final decision is taken. He also praised the work of the two EU Council presidencies of 2024, led by Belgium and Hungary, hoping that the current Danish one would continue their work on the Combined Transport Directive.