OPEN LETTER ON EU FUNDING FOR SAFE AND SECURE TRUCK PARKING AREAS

The united European road transport industry demands the continuation of EU funding for safe and secure truck parking areas and proposes setting a policy objective to reach 100,000 safe and secure truck parking stops in Europe by 2030.

In the aftermath of the European Commission’s disclosure of the results of the 2^nd CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) call for funding, which resulted in a record low level of truck parking projects funded, a coalition of key road transport industry stakeholders called upon European policy decision makers to maintain high the level of EU funding for safe and secure truck parking areas in Europe. 

They also appealed to establish the objective of reaching 100,000 safe and secure parking spots for trucks by 2030, as an EU policy priority as well as a business and social objective for both investors and European policy makers.

Together, the alliance also urged candidate applicants to step up their efforts to further improve applications by starting to prepare their dossiers sufficiently in advance, accompanying the application with a solid feasibility study, providing a detailed and solid financial plan and indeed, guaranteeing the timely obtention of a building permit, to ensure that any high quality and mature project is selected for funding.  

Dirk Penasse, ESPORG’s CEO, said: “We propose to Members of the European Parliament, to launch an own-initiative resolution to address the issues raised in this letter and support the objective of achieving 100,000 safe and secure truck parking spots in the EU by 2030. Safe and secure truck parking areas, certified according to the EU-Parking Standard, should also become hotbeds for the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure, guaranteeing drivers’ well-being, whilst at the same time ensuring connectivity.”

In particular, the united European road transport industries called upon European policy and decision makers to:

• Recognise professional drivers as essential workers, as it was the case during the pandemic, who need decent resting conditions, in particular at safe and secure truck parking areas.
• Recognise, promote and support safe and secure truck parking areas, certified according to the EU standard, as strategic EU infrastructure hubs, to ensure drivers’ well-being, sustain EU’s resilience, and promote alternative fuel infrastructure.
• Establish the creation, by 2030, of an EU network of 100,000 safe and secure truck parking spots as a strategic EU policy, business and social objective.
• Maintain the funding of safe and secure truck parking areas as high on the EU policy and funding agenda and include it in the next financial period as a strategic area for EU support, with budget allocation equal to or higher than the one provided in the funding period 2021-2023.
• Update and modernise the selection criteria for CEF funding, including by making safe and secure truck parking areas situated on the comprehensive network eligible for funding. 
• Ensure the availability of necessary funds, so that all submitted mature and high-quality projects for building or modernising safe and secure truck parking areas, which reach the evaluation threshold, obtain the required funding.

 Penasse further commented, “For 2024, we propose to our public and private partners to launch a joint campaign on the cleanliness of sanitary facilities at truck parking areas in Europe. As a long-term objective, we propose also to work together to make the EU SSTPAs standards internal, including by making them a non-binding part of the UNECE AETR Agreement.”

See the joint letter at https://www.esporg.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Open_Letter_EU_Funding_Final_PDF.pdf.

 For more information, please contact Dirk Penasse at d.penasse@esporg.eu.