ATTO’s 2026 Annual Conference To Address Malta’s Fragility In Europe’s Road Transport Strategy
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The Association of Tractor and Trailer Operators (ATTO) is announcing its forthcoming annual conference on the 18th of February themed Europe’s Island Link: Advocating Malta’s Role in the EU’s Transport Strategy.
The morning conference at Xara Lodge in Rabat, will bring key policymakers, European representatives and industry stakeholders together to discuss the strategic, regulatory and operational challenges facing Malta’s road haulage and logistics sector, particularly the fragility of Malta’s connection disadvantages as an island state.
According to ATTO’s chairman Joseph Bugeja, this year’s annual conference comes at a particularly significant moment for the industry as it grapples with rising disproportionate and unjust financial burdens on Malta’s transport and logistics industry.
“As an island, Malta remains disadvantaged in terms of logistical connections and although we are also part of the European Union, our disadvantages continue to be ignored by EU policies and regulations,” explains Mr Bugeja, now in his third year at the helm of ATTO.
He referred to the implementation of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) and fuel surcharge which as from the 1st of January of this year has reached 100%, a measure which according to ATTO, continues to impose disproportionate and unjust financial burdens our transport and logistics industry and ultimately, on Maltese consumers.
“ATTO has always been a consistent and vocal advocate in this matter. Our goal for this conference is that it will not only continue to position ATTO as a responsible, solutions-driven stakeholder committed to safeguarding Malta’s competitiveness but also send a clear message that transport policy at EU level needs to be shaped by dialogue, proportional regulation and an understanding of the realities faced by operators from island states such as ours,” added Mr Bugeja.
The conference will also be addressed by the Transport Minister Chris Bonnet, representatives from Transport Malta as well as senior representatives from major international shipping and logistics operators.
European-level insight will be provided by Mark Billiet, Associate Director for EU Goods Transport at the IRU, as well as MEPs Daniel Attard and Peter Agius, ensuring that Malta’s concerns are framed within the broader policy direction emerging from Brussels.
The programme will also include interventions from leading maritime and shipping groups who will highlight the interdependence between road, sea and international logistics.
Further sessions will focus on customs, taxation and digitalisation, with contributions from the Commissioner for Tax and Customs, Transport Malta officials and international counterparts, including the President of the Irish Road Haulage Association.
Emerging standards and systems, such as electronic freight transport information as well as electrification, will also be addressed as part of the sector’s ongoing modernisation.
Registrations for the conference are open at €50 per delegate. For more details and to register attendance, contact ATTO on info@atto.mt
