Maltese transport companies narrowly avoided a major cost increase, thanks to ATTO’s successful lobbying efforts against a proposed EU directive requiring international trailers to return to their home base every eight weeks.
Had the “Return of Vehicle” directive come into force, operating costs for Maltese hauliers could have risen by an estimated 11%, an increase that would likely have been passed on to consumers through higher prices for goods.
Addressing a seminar organised recently by the Association of Tractors and Trailers Operators (ATTO) that focused on improving access to EU and local funding to help the logistics sector modernise and cut emissions, ATTO Chairman Joseph Bugeja noted that this scenario would have been “economically very damaging”.
During the seminar, Minister for EU Funds Hon. Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and Shadow Minister Hon. David Agius joined officials from Malta Enterprise, Servizzi Ewropej f’Maltaand Transport Malta to underline the importance of helping hauliers tap into EU funds.
The seminar outlined that while Maltese transport and logistics companies are very keen to identify best options to make use of EU and local funding opportunities to modernise their operations and reduce their environmental impact, the sector is still hesitant in applying for funding, a situation attributed partly to perceptions that the process is long and bureaucratic.
“Avoiding the directive was a win, but we must go further in supporting a sustainable and competitive logistics sector on which Malta’s economic growth depends. This can only be possible if operators continue to innovate to operate more sustainably and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving European transport landscape,” added Joseph Bugeja.
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