ESPORG calls on parking operators, hauliers, shippers, insurers and public authorities to rely only on certification under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012, carried out by Conformity Assessment Bodies that meet the obligations of EA Resolution TMB 2024 (18) 01.
Brussels, 11 November 2026 – The European Secure Parking Organisation (ESPORG) today reaffirmed that Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012, the EU Parking Standard, is the only legal standard for the certification of safe and secure parking areas for trucks and commercial vehicles in the European Union. Labels created by private organisations may support good practice, but none of them carries the legal status, the independent verification or the public supervision of the EU Parking Standard.
One legal standard for the whole Union
The EU Parking Standard was adopted by the European Commission under Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, under the oversight of the European Parliament and the Council. It is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. It defines a minimum level of service for drivers, which includes gender-friendly sanitary facilities, food and drink, communication connections, power supply and emergency procedures. It also sets four security levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
The standard is also the reference in wider EU transport policy. The TEN-T Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 requires Member States to develop safe and secure parking areas certified according to EU standards along the core and extended core network by 2040, with an average maximum distance of 150 km between two such areas. Only certificates issued under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012 count towards this objective. Only these certified sites are listed on the European Commission’s official website for safe and secure parking areas.
The full text is published in the Official Journal of the European Union. It is free of charge and available in all official EU languages, so every driver, operator and authority can see exactly what a certified parking area must offer.
Independent certification, publicly supervised
The EU Parking Standard is built on the separation of roles. The European Union writes the rules. Independent, impartial and neutral Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) verify compliance. National accreditation bodies and the European Commission supervise those CABs.
Under the Regulation, a certification body must be accredited and must prove its compliance to the European Commission before it is listed. Initial audits take place physically on site. Certificates are valid for three years, with at least one unannounced audit during that period. No waivers are allowed: a site either meets all minimum service standards and all requirements of a security level, or it does not obtain that level. The certification body reports every certificate, every revocation and every change of security level to the Commission.
Only audit companies meeting EA Resolution TMB 2024 (18) 01
To make sure certification is carried out in the same way, and to the same high level, in every Member State, the European Accreditation (EA) adopted Resolution TMB 2024 (18) 01. It sets out how national accreditation bodies must accredit CABs that certify safe and secure parking areas under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012.
ESPORG stresses that only CABs that comply with the obligations under this resolution should certify parking areas against the EU Parking Standard. These obligations include:
- Accreditation scope: accreditation in accordance with EN ISO/IEC 17021-1, with a scope that explicitly refers to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012 and Regulation (EC) No 561/2006;
- Inspection and audit: a physical inspection of the parking area meeting EN ISO/IEC 17020, combined with an audit of the operator’s procedures under EN ISO/IEC 17021-1;
- Physical requirements: any non-conformity relating to physical requirements is treated as a major non-conformity, and it must be corrected and verified before certification is granted;
- Strict impartiality: the CAB, its legal entity and any entity under its control may not design, provide or maintain the certified service, and may not offer consultancy or internal auditing to the operators they certify;
- Clear certificate statement: the certificate states that the parking area meets all minimum service standards and all standards of one security level.
“A certificate is only as strong as the body that issues it and the system that supervises that body,” said Dirk Penasse, General Manager of ESPORG. “The EU Parking Standard is the only scheme in which the rules are set by the European Union. Audits are carried out by accredited, independent CABs, and those CABs are themselves monitored by national accreditation bodies and the European Commission. We urge operators to work only with CABs that meet the obligations of EA Resolution TMB 2024 (18) 01. And we urge buyers and public authorities to ask for nothing less.”
What ESPORG recommends
- Parking operators: seek certification under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1012 and check that the chosen CAB’s accreditation scope meets EA Resolution TMB 2024 (18) 01.
- Hauliers, shippers and insurers: in tenders, contracts and risk assessments, ask for parking areas certified according to the EU Parking Standard, at the security level they need, and check each site on the Commission’s official list.
- Public authorities and funding bodies: refer only to the EU Parking Standard in planning documents, concessions and funding decisions. It is the only legally recognised, non-discriminatory reference that applies uniformly across the Union.
Voluntary schemes can add value on top of the EU Parking Standard, for example on sustainability, provided they build on the legal standard rather than replace it. ESPORG’s own sustainability scheme follows this principle.
About ESPORG
The European Secure Parking Organisation (ESPORG) is the European sector association for safe and secure truck parking. ESPORG supports parking operators, public authorities and transport stakeholders in developing safe, secure and sustainable parking infrastructure in line with the EU Parking Standard. It also promotes training, knowledge exchange and best practice across Europe.
Given the complexity of the audit and certification process, if you have any questions please contact us at info@esporg.eu. ESPORG is there to guide you.
