CLECAT welcomes pragmatic shift in EU Automotive Package

17 December 2025

CLECAT, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services, welcomes the European Commission's decision not to introduce mandatory purchase quotas for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles under the Clean Corporate Fleets proposal, as part of the Automotive Package adopted yesterday.

The Commission's assessment rightly concludes that such obligations would be premature, given the limited availability of charging infrastructure for trucks across the EU and the risk of creating significant and unnecessary administrative burdens for companies active in complex logistics chains.

"The exclusion of heavy-duty vehicles from mandatory fleet quotas is an important and realistic step," said Nicolette van der Jagt, Director General of CLECAT. "Transport and logistics companies are committed to decarbonisation and already investing where possible, but forcing vehicle choices through quotas, especially in a sector built on subcontracting, would have created disproportionate costs and administrative complexity without accelerating decarbonisation."

CLECAT has consistently argued that mandatory fleet targets for heavy-duty vehicles would not only affect large operators, but would inevitably cascade down to SMEs and subcontractors, which make up the majority of the road freight sector. In practice, this would have required companies to monitor and report vehicle use across multiple contractual layers, creating a heavy compliance burden at odds with the EU's broader objective to reduce administrative load.

CLECAT also notes positively the Commission's acknowledgement that decarbonisation cannot rely on a single technological pathway. Allowing different solutions to compete on their merits is crucial to foster innovation, support investment and reflect the wide range of profiles in freight transport and logistics.

At the same time, CLECAT underlines that concerns remain regarding the feasibility and consistency of measures affecting light commercial vehicles, as well as the continued lack of a coherent EU-wide framework for incentives and infrastructure deployment. "If Europe wants to accelerate real-world decarbonisation, the focus must now shift decisively to enabling conditions: grid capacity, predictable connection timelines, affordable energy and supportive fiscal measures," van der Jagt added. "Mandates alone will not deliver the transition we all want."

In addition, CLECAT notes positively the greater flexibility introduced for truck manufacturers through targeted amendments to the CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles, allowing earlier accumulation of emission credits ahead of 2030. While these measures provide additional predictability, CLECAT stresses that regulatory coherence must be maintained across vehicle categories and aligned with real-world infrastructure and energy availability.

"What is most important now is that the transition remains technology-neutral and flexible," van der Jagt added. "Decarbonisation will only succeed if different technologies are allowed to develop according to their suitability for specific use cases, and if policy focuses on enabling conditions rather than obligations."

CLECAT underlines that future efforts to increase the uptake of zero-emission trucks should prioritise investment in grid capacity, faster connection timelines, coordinated infrastructure rollout and supportive fiscal measures, rather than revisiting fleet mandates before the necessary conditions are in place. Any reassessment of heavy-duty vehicle policies, including in the context of the planned review of upcoming CO2 standards, should be grounded in operational evidence and market readiness.

CLECAT will continue to engage constructively with EU institutions and stakeholders to ensure that Europe's green transition in road freight remains effective, workable and economically sustainable, while safeguarding the competitiveness of the logistics sector.