Hauliers' EU red tape burden slashed
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PAPERWORK DEMANDED of hauliers by European Union (EU) regulations has now been scrapped, after approval from the EU Council of Ministers.
It backed the liberalisation measure by the European Parliament in January, which was supposed to be rubberstamped by ministers. However, serious discussions on the issue followed, and it is only last week that the council backed the proposal.
It means road freight operators crossing national borders within the EU no longer have to carry certain information on tariffs, commercial agreements, price deals and transport conditions.
A council communiqué welcomed "the removal of outdated and unnecessary requirements", notably requirements "that certain information, which as a result of technical progress is now available in carriers' [electronic] accounting systems, be retained on paper."
The European Commission has stressed that such records are redundant given the increasingly open borders between EU member states.