ATTO Welcomes Malta’s Role on EU Transport Committee

02 August 2024

ATTO, Malta’s Association of Tractor and Trailer Operators has welcomed the fact that Malta will now have a direct role on the European Commission’s Transport Committee.

“The fact that Malta will now have Malta’s MEP Dr Daniel Attard on the EU’s Transport Committee is a big step in the right direction because this will hopefully guarantee that the particular interests of island states will be kept high on the EU’s agenda,” said Joseph Bugeja, Chairman of ATTO.

ATTO recently hosted a cordial meeting with Malta’s MEPs Alex Agius Saliba, Daniel Attard and Thomas Bajada during which both sides agreed to keep a healthy and constant
dialogue to ensure that Malta’s economic interests are protected so that the international trailer services provided by ATTO members can be fostered and grown.

During the meeting, ATTO also explained how the current ETS Directive which obliges shipping companies to compensate for their CO2 emissions is an 'unjust' nature for islands like Malta given their total dependency on sea transport for all essentials.

During the meeting, Joseph Bugeja presented the three MEPs with a position paper put forward to the European Parliament by representatives of transport and haulage operators in Malta, Ireland and Cyprus for a revision of the EU’s Combined Transport Directive which is having a specific impact on the three countries’ logistics and supply chains.

“Notwithstanding Malta, Cyprus and Ireland being three fully-fledged island member states of the European Union, policies at EU level are not taking the specific conditions of these countries. Our opinion is that connections between island nations and mainland EU should automatically be considered as combined transport,” said Mr Bugeja.

The position paper, drafted by the Association of Tractors & Trailers Operators (ATTO), the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry will urge the European Parliament to revise existing road transport legislation given the distorted competition that exists between countries on mainland Europe and disadvantaged island operators.

“The current issues being faced by our industry make this position paper a defining moment for ATTO and for our counterparts in Cyprus and Ireland and allow ATTO to take a
lead in this crucial issue,” concluded Joseph Bugeja.

ATTO is the association that represents Maltese logistics operators who regularly connect Malta to the rest of the world through road services to and from Malta and across Europe. Its members service 80% of Malta’s importers and exporters across various industries including aviation, fashion, food, pharmaceutical and semiconductors industries.