The EU: white cars and NCCs in the single market

The entry of taxis and Nccs into the latest document launched by the EU Commission on 21 May with the strategy for Europe's single market has the flavour of liberalisation. A 31-page dossier outlining the future of many economic sectors in terms of opening up markets under the banner of competitiveness. To do so, it is necessary to defeat the 'Terrible Ten', as the von der Leyen executive defines them in the document, the ten biggest obstacles that stand between economic sectors and free competition. They range from 'overly complex European regulations' to 'territorial supply constraints for trade'. Among the actions that Brussels is planning is to 'issue guidelines and recommendations to member states to free regulated services from unnecessary regulations that hinder investment and trade (Q1 2026)'. On non-scheduled public transport, 'the Commission also envisages actions to apply EU single market rules and principles to the taxi and private hire vehicle sector'.

"This is a novelty of enormous importance, because for the first time the Commission is setting itself the goal of implementing concrete actions to extend the rules of the single market to a sector that until now had remained outside of it, with serious damage for citizens and businesses," comments Andrea Romano, president of MuoverSì, an association that brings together the companies of the chauffeur-driven hire sector. For Romano, 'the European push is essential for the government and Parliament to finally put their hands on a new framework law, almost 35 years after the 1992 law'.

In this regard, the deadline for the 'Stand Still' in the Tris procedure opened by Brussels on the Salvini decree for app regulation expired on 12 June. After the interlocutions with Brussels, says the MIT, the measure must now be submitted to the Council of State. Even if the risk of an infringement procedure by Brussels hangs over everything in the event that the critical observations sent by the Commission on 8 May are not incorporated in the final text.