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A newly-formed coalition of European key players in road freight urges the EU to accelerate the transition to clean trucks in order to meet the emission targets of the proposed EU Climate Law by 2030 and achieve a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050.
Eighteen leading European businesses and organisations are launching today, July 15, 2020, the European Clean Trucking Alliance (ECTA), a unique coalition to call for the decarbonisation of road freight in the EU.
ECTA brings together a broad and diverse range of European players in the road transport of goods such as leading businesses, associations and civil society organisations that share a strong commitment to accelerate the EU’s transition to zero-emissions trucks.
ECTA business members include major hauliers, logistics and consumer goods companies in Europe and beyond. Altogether, the ECTA business members employ more than 1.6 million people globally and have over EUR 325 billion yearly revenue. This latter figure is comparable to the GDP of Denmark. The organisations that have joined ECTA are some of the civil society organisations and associations with the strongest network of members and experience in transport and mobility at the European level. The International Council on Clean Transportation acts as technical observer.
“Frans Timmermans , European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, says : “A green recovery is good for our health, our economy, and our jobs. I’m pleased to see yet again an impressive group of businesses, NGO’s, and citizens from across Europe coming together in support of this goal. The European Clean Trucking Alliance offers European capitals a concrete project to include in their economic recovery plans: decarbonising truck fleets. With the European Green Deal as its compass, the Alliance can accelerate the move towards zero-emission freight transport for a healthier future and a stronger economy.”
Kristian Kaas Mortensen, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Girteka Logistics: “Today trucks account for only 2% of vehicles on the road. Yet they are responsible for 22% of road transport CO2 emissions in the EU. We cannot meet the Paris agreement without decarbonising road freight. Replacing our 7.400 Euro 6 trucks with zero-emission vehicles is a must. Joining ECTA brings a strong and united voice to our common goal of having zero-emission trucks.”
There are approximately 40 million vehicles delivering across Europe, with trucks carrying more than three quarters of all freight transported over land. As road freight activity is expected to double by 2050, ECTA aims to support the EU in the development and implementation of sustainable road freight transport policies to drastically reduce CO2 and air pollutant emissions.
In its first communication “Europe’s Opportunity to Decarbonise the Road Freight Sector”, ECTA calls upon the European Commission to make the shift to zero-emissions trucks a priority in order to meet the ambitious emission targets of the proposed EU Climate Law by 2030 and achieve a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050 .
In 2019, the EU set targets for reducing the average emissions from new lorries for 2025 and 2030 for the first time in the Union. As part of the upcoming European Commission’s work programme, the Alliance urges the EU to take further steps and “come forward with a clear pathway and political strategy to enable the deployment of zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure”.
As EU Member States consider recovery investments in response to the Covid-19 crisis, ECTA urges them “to safeguard jobs and support long-term sustainable solutions that will decarbonise the road freight sector”.
More About ECTA:
- The European Clean Trucking Alliance’s newly-launched website : www.clean-trucking.eu
- ECTA’s key asks to decision-makers – Communication: Europe’s Opportunity to Decarbonise the Road Freight Sector
