Representatives of road transporters met today with the Minister of Sea and Transport, Božidar Kalmeta, and decided, after the majority of their demands were accepted, that they will not go on strike.
Transporters have been granted more concessions, including a subsidy of 50 million kuna for the purchase of new trucks with Euro V engines. Due to EU regulations, domestic transporters had to choose whether to remain with Euro III technology and lose half of their CEMT permits (which allow for the transport of goods in Austria and Italy) or switch to Euro V and retain their current number of permits. Additionally, a further discount for using highways has been agreed upon for transporters. On all highways except the Zagreb-Macelj highway, transporters will receive a 20 percent discount, or a refund of 20 percent of the paid amount. County fees for vehicle registration should not increase, and negotiations regarding these fees will resume in six months, as transporters have requested a 37 percent reduction.
The payment of customs parking fees for transporters is also being abolished, which will have to be taken over by those importing or exporting goods no later than January 15, 2009. The price of Annex 8 has also been reduced by more than 50 percent, and a reorganization of inspection services has been agreed upon, which should inspect domestic and foreign transporters within the territory of Croatia. – “We will have monthly discussions with the minister about the problems of transporters, and these negotiations have been ongoing for 18 months. We have made progress, but we will continue in order to increase the competitiveness of Croatian transport,” said Anton Kolak, CEO of CP-logistics. Things in transport are not going well these days as the transport system is the first to be hit by the recession, which has resulted in less production and consequently less goods being transported. (Ante Livajić)
