Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1438848
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2021 NEWS KURT SANSONE THE European Council agreed on Mon- day to ease existing restrictions on the use of vans or trucks without drivers hired from another EU country. The new rules will make transport opera- tions more efficient and give road haulage companies access to a larger fleet of hired trucks to help them meet seasonal demand. The European Parliament is expected to approve the rules shortly and member states will have 14 months from the entry into force of the directive to incorporate the new provisions into national legislation. The reform, which has been the subject of ongoing negotiations between the par- liament, the council and the commission, clarifies the rules, harmonises the legal framework and eases the restrictions on the use of hired vehicles. "Road haulage companies will now have access to a larger fleet of hired lorries to help them meet seasonal demands and oth- er short-term needs. Wider use of these, of- ten greener vehicles, will also help us meet our climate targets," Jernej Vrtovec, Slove- nian Minister for Infrastructure said. The reform was concluded under the Slovenian presidency of the EU. Under existing rules member states could restrict the use of hired vehicles without their driver from other member states, of- ten leading to disparate interpretations that have seen Maltese haulage companies fined. Member states agreed to allow the use of hired vans or trucks without drivers bearing the licence of another EU country, but op- posed a full market opening due to possible fiscal distortions. Negotiators ensured transport companies will have an option to use hired vehicles for at least two months per year. Member states may also choose to require these vehicles to be registered under their rules after 30 days of use. Companies will need to have the information on hired vehicles at hand for roadside checks, which member states can carry out to ensure the vehicles do not con- stitute more than 25% of the overall goods vehicle fleet used by the business involved. New EU rules ease restrictions on use of hired goods transport trucks LAURA CALLEJA MALTA'S doctors' union is claiming there is no such thing as "responsible cannabis use", and has called cannabis a "dangerous addictive drug" with serious long-term consequences on Mental Health, The Medical Association of Malta (MAM) said. Over the weekend, President George Vella signed the cannabis reform bill, with Malta now becoming the first country in Europe to permit restricted use of canna- bis for recreational use. As of Saturday, cannabis users can carry up to 7g of the substance on them without fear of prosecution and grow four plants at home. The association has condemned "without reservation" the promotion and "blatant adverting" of responsible use by govern- ment ministers, whom they said "should hold the excellent health of the younger generation at heart." "There is no such thing as responsible cannabis use, simply a drug which produc- es some concise-term completely artificial 'highs' with severe and long-term pains, in the form of major forms of mental illness," MAM said. The association said that with the strict bans on tobacco and alcohol adverting in place, it is unacceptable for a political fig- ure to promote such a "scourge of modern society" known to scar the lives of many young people for life. MAM referenced 124 studies on the ef- fects of cannabis on previously healthy youths free from any form of mental health issues. The studies said that the frequency of cannabis use, THC, not CBD found strong evidence of a negative effect on psychosis and psychosocial functioning. Malta doctors' union calls cannabis 'dangerous addictive drug'