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News from ECG
The European Union’s current regulatory framework for heavy-duty vehicles is excessively complex and fails to adequately support the industry’s commitment to decarbonisation. That became evident during the ECG Dinner Debate at the European Parliament on 5 May 2026.
The Keynote speaker, Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus, presented a a complex picture of the myriads of regulations of regulations, particularly for heavy-duty vehicles, with various regulatory steps over time. These myriads of regulations were described as overly complex, constantly changing, and counterproductive. The core message urges a shift from idealism to realism in EU policymaking, advocating for clear, simplified regulations that support rather than hinder the transition to zero-emission vehicles. To achieve zero-emission targets, a coordinated, realistic approach is needed that focuses on products, infrastructure, renewable energy, and economic viability.
The evening´s host of this year’s ECG Dinner Debate, MEP Beatrice Timgren (ECR), member of the committee for Environment, Climate and Food Safety, delivered a message that successful road transport decarbonisation in Europe requires a practical, market-led transition supported by robust infrastructure, clear rules, and competitive conditions, rather than excessive regulation. Timgren, with a former position as an engineer at Scania, said that the role of politics is to remove obstacles, create predictability and let companies innovate.
Challenges to electrifying fleets include high costs, infrastructure gaps, and uncertain economics. Wolfgang Göbel, President of ECG, discussed practical approaches to decarbonising heavy-duty transport, viewing the current crises as opportunities for change and for implementing solutions to overcome existing challenges. Göbel called for harmonised CO2 regulations, subsidies for charging, and aligning charging with drivers’ rest times.
Levent Yuksel, JLR Freight Operations Director, urged a pragmatic and collaborative European approach. “Joint focus should be on bringing climate ambition with industrial competitiveness and economic viability”, he said, outlining the company´s commitment to sustainability and decarbonisation within its logistics operations.
MEP Niels Flemming Hansen (EPP) addressed the significant disparity between the ambition for a unified and efficient European transport sector and its current fragmented reality. He emphasised the critical need for collaboration and highlighted several key issues, such as the single market being hindered by national regulations, which puts a burden on small and medium-sized enterprises operating with a system that is not designed to support them.”55% of small and medium size enterprises report administrative burdens as a major obstacle. Bureaucracy is not just annoying; it is a competitive disadvantage. For large companies, regulation is a task, but for the SMEs, it´s a burden that they carry every single day”, he says.
Jessica Sandström, Vice President, Volvo Trucks, discussed the industry’s collective efforts and the necessary steps for the transition to electric trucks, accelerating it through industry alignment, policy clarity, increased volume, and an ecosystem.
ECG member Klaus Koopman urged action over bureaucracy. Koopman stated that there is a mismatch between bureaucracy and funding, as the long lifespan of trucks (10-12 years) often conflicts with shorter funding cycles or customer contracts (1-3 years).
Raluca Marian, Director EU Advocacy IRU, emphasised the unrealistic decarbonisation targets and the problem of late payments, which are significantly impacting the cash flow and liquidity of transport operators and making it difficult to make massive investments in new technologies. She also highlighted the Weights & Dimensions directive, which addresses transport efficiency in general.
Thomas Fabian, Chief Commercial Vehicles Officer, ACEA, said that only 2,4% of the trucks in the heavy-duty segment are zero-emission trucks; in China, the equivalent number is 29%. “There is a discrepancy in implementation across member states, and there is a competitiveness challenge that is growing because China has 450,000 battery electric vehicles and 136,000 charging stations for heavy-duty vehicles. To create a thriving market, we need to create the right conditions, and there will never be enough public money in the pots to finance this whole transition. There are no shortcuts.”
This year’s debate emphasized a clear message from industry leaders and policymakers: Europe’s decarbonisation goals for heavy-duty transport can only be achieved through a realistic, coordinated, and collaborative approach. ECG reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting its members throughout the decarbonisation journey by advocating for practical solutions, fostering dialogue with policymakers, and helping the industry navigate the challenges of the transition.
For more information, please contact:
Frank Schnelle
Executive Director
ECG – The Association of European Vehicle Logistics
+32 2 706 82 80
info@ecgassociation.eu
About ECG
ECG, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics, has been the voice of the Finished Vehicle Logistics industry in Europe since 1997. ECG represents the interests of more than 200 member companies and partners, from family-owned SMEs to multi-nationals, and is the major champion of the European vehicle logistics sector.
ECG represents all transport models at EU level- road, rail, maritime and fluvial. ECG members provide transport, distribution, storage, preparation, and post-production services to manufacturers, importers, car rental companies, and vehicle leasing operators in the 27 Member States of the European Union as well as Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and beyond. They own or operate more than 470 car-carrying ships, 14,000 purpose-built railway wagons, 23 river barges, and 26,000 road transporters. As a major employer, the finished vehicle logistics sector plays an important role in contributing to the economic success of the European Union. Today, ECG members have an aggregate turnover of €21.3bn and their economic impact on companies associated with the sector is estimated at €56bn. More than 210,000 Europeans are employed directly by our members.