In 2022, IRU, backed with on-the-ground information from its members, continued to report and analyse global driver shortages: a chronic issue threatening the stability and continuity of mobility and supply chains. This article offers an overview of IRU’s efforts to analyse the situation, raise awareness and advance solutions.

After intense negotiations, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission struck a deal last weekend on an Emissions Trading System (ETS) for buildings and roads (ETS II) that sees reason prevail, having taken on board the road transport industry’s critical recommendations. 

IRU joined a group of key stakeholders invited by the European Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, to set concrete key performance indicators (KPIs) for a clean and competitive transformation of the EU’s automotive ecosystem.

The war in Ukraine has shifted surrounding transport routes. Member states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) are now playing an even bigger role in the region. Investment in both hard and soft solutions are needed to keep up with increasing traffic at already congested border crossings.