About ECR EGTC

In 1994, the BENELUX countries set up a "Road transport inspection" working group. With this initiative, they wanted to work together on internationally organised and more thorough road transport inspections. The ultimate objective of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg was to significantly improve safety on European roads via harmonisation. It is little wonder that other countries quickly wished to join this cooperative association as well.

In 1997 the Benelux countries established relations with France, which led to the signing of an Administrative Arrangement on 5 October 1999 by the competent transport ministers. This date signified the official start of Euro Contrôle Route. Since then, the number of European countries has continued to grow. Euro Contrôle Route presently counts 20 interested countries, including 14 members.

Each of the members has signed the Administrative Arrangement. In this “gentlemen’s agreement”, the competent transport ministers of the respective countries support safer European roads via the ECR cooperation.

The first administrative agreement was signed on 5 October 1999 by the competent transport ministers of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and France.

As a result of ECR’s vigorous expansion and in order to meet the evolving needs, a second agreement open_in_new was signed on 22 March 2007. This time the competent transport ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Poland, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Italy participated. Later in that year, Hungary also joined the ECR forces.

To continue developing the organisation, in 2012, the initiation of the process to transform the ECR into a new, more effective legal framework began.

On February 12, 2024, after an arduous procedure, the Convention and Statute of Euro Contrôle Route European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (ECR EGTC) are published in the Dutch official journal. Continuously on March 18, 2024, there was a formal registration with the Committee of the Regions and publication of information regarding the establishment of the ECR EGTC in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Currently, the ECR EGTC Secretariat and beating heart of the Euro Contrôle Route are located in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. Here the countries meet with one another to make agreements, improve the training of enforcers, and exchange information on checks and regulations.

In 2026, France’s Presidency will focus on deepening cooperation among national transport enforcement bodies across Europe to improve harmonisation of inspection practices, strengthen road safety, promote fair competition in the transport sector, and enhance the exchange of best practices and training programs among members. As the Presidency, France will also oversee planning and coordination of key ECR EGTC activities, including expert groups on tachograph enforcement, technical vehicle checks, and dangerous goods transport enforcement.

Croatia plays a significant supporting role during the French Presidency. Croatia, already a long-standing ECR EGTC member, will support France in its leadership role, acting as Vice-President in 2026 and collaborating closely on strategic initiatives that emphasise cross-border enforcement cooperation, mutual assistance in capacity building, and joint operational initiatives. Croatian participation underscores the commitment of southeastern European enforcement bodies to the ECR EGTC’s objectives.

Throughout 2026, under the joint leadership of France and Croatia, the ECR EGTC will continue to advance its mission of creating a safer, fairer, and more harmonised European road transport environment, reinforcing cooperation between member states and strengthening engagement with the wider European transport enforcement community.