The European TRM ended 2016 with a record growth rate of +4.6% (%). Twenty-two of the 29 European pavilions studied benefited from this boom, but the growth gap between the West and the East remains, with very heterogeneous national developments. In the West, while the United Kingdom (+11.2% %), Spain (+3.6% %), Portugal (+9.6% %) and Luxembourg (+5.4% %) are performing well, other countries such as Germany (+0.3% %) and France (+1.5% %) are stagnating or declining compared to 2015, as is the case in Italy (-3.6% %) and Belgium (-2.7% %). In Eastern Europe, very high growth rates are not uncommon: Poland (+11.5 %), Romania (+23.5 %) and Lithuania (+16.9 %). However, two Eastern European countries stand out with trends that are contrary to the rest of the group: the Czech Republic (-12 %) and Latvia (-3.2 %). 

Growth in the western pavilions is driven by domestic road transport, up 3.8% in % compared with 0.5% in % for international transport. In the east, the strong results are mainly due to international transport, up 10.8% in % compared with 3.8% in % for domestic transport. The international specialisation of Eastern flag carriers is accelerating, as evidenced by a sharp rise in activity between third countries (+14.2% year-on-year) and an explosion in cabotage (+36% year-on-year). These two relatively recent markets, which emerged from the liberalisation of European road transport at the end of the 1990s, are mainly served by the flags of the new Member States. Western flags are falling back on their domestic markets, which are now themselves threatened by the rise of cabotage. 

CNR country studies show that the difference in driving personnel costs largely explains the East-West divide. The Czech flag, whose costs have been rising for several years, is in a similar situation to its Western counterparts.

Find all the figures and additional explanations in the 2016 European ranking, available for download.