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| Germany gives 350m boost to road sector |
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| Written by Jimbo | |
| Wednesday, 01 April 2009 | |
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The German federal government is to channel up to €350m (US$459m) in road toll revenues back into the country’s haulage sector to help support it through the economic crisis. The support would be through “de minimis” grants to pay for specific investments approved by the EU, to companies with over 250 employees. Under EU rules, member states can provide funding for issues such the retraining of drivers, investments that reduce carbon emissions or to increase road safety. German road freight association, BGL said the money would be welcomed, but doubted whether it would have much benefit for the sector. “We think it will help companies, but we can’t say if it will be enough in these times,” said a spokesman. He said the grants would come as part of a €600m reimbursement package that the government had promised German hauliers and logistics companies back in 2003, in response to lobbying by the BGL. This was due to be paid from 2005 onwards. But he said the industry had yet to see any of the money and criticised the government for dragging its heels over the last four years. The original plan was blocked in January 2006, when the European Commission ruled that the proposed scheme to reimburse Germany’s hauliers up to 10% of Maut fees breached EU competition laws. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 April 2009 ) |
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