How much the return home rule would cost to environment?

The European Commission’s agenda “Europe on the move” comprising three parts of mobility packages is a wide range of initiatives aiming to ensure clean mobility among other. Following the Paris Agreement, the European Commission presented several well justified proposals on improving aerodynamic performance, tyre labeling,  as well as CO₂ standards for lorries.

However, as the debate on Mobility Package has become ever more heated, the proposals having nothing to do with environmental policy are being tabled. The proposal on regular return of vehicles to the country of establishment has to be underlined as posing the greatest threat to the future of clean mobility. Hundreds of thousands of lorries  would be obliged to drive thousands of kilometers back to their home countries. As a reminder, the road transport policy of the EU has always been focusing on fighting empty runs in order to make road transport effective and cleaner.

Since there is no impact assessment of such proposal it can only be presumed what damaging outcomes it could bring to the environment. If the rule is implemented the level of CO₂ emissions as well as fuel consumption would soar due to significantly increase of empty runs. Moreover, working conditions of drivers would be negatively affected as they would forced to spend weeks on wheels only to comply with the rule.