IRU names Habib Turki as next Secretary General

On 2026-05-29 , IRU's General Assembly of members voted in Geneva to appoint Habib Turki as the organisation's next Secretary General, effective 2026-08-01. He will succeed Umberto de Pretto and steps into the role as European road freight operators face diesel averaging EUR 1.942 per litre — a 19% increase since the outbreak of the war in Iran — and a regulatory calendar that grows denser by the week.

Who is Habib Turki

Turki brings nearly two decades of experience in trade, development and transport at international organisations. He first joined IRU as Regional Adviser for the Middle East from 2015 to 2018, during which time he led the accession of Oman, Palestine, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to the TIR customs-transit system and oversaw TIR implementation in the United Arab Emirates. In 2019 he joined the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), eventually serving as Chief Development Officer from 2024, with responsibility for institutional partnerships, market development and international representation across China and Asia.

Turki described the appointment as an honour and pointed to IRU's track record — rebuilding post-war European trade links via the TIR system, advancing road safety globally, and leading the pragmatic decarbonisation of the road transport sector — as the foundation for its next chapter.

What the new Secretary General inherits

The appointment lands at an acute moment for European operators. The European Commission's spring 2026 economic forecast , published on 2026-05-21, cut eurozone GDP growth to 0.9% and revised inflation up to 3.0%, citing prolonged disruption to Strait of Hormuz oil flows. EU diesel averaged EUR 1.942 per litre on 2026-05-22, with national fiscal-cliff decisions on diesel excise extensions expected by 2026-06-07 that will determine whether existing packages are extended. In the freight market itself, European contract rates reached 140.1 index points in Q1 2026, an 8.9-point year-on-year rise, as operators increasingly pass elevated fuel and labour costs through to rates, according to the IRU x Upply x Ti quarterly benchmark .

The regulatory calendar pressing down on operators

Beyond fuel, operators face a dense compliance window before the end of summer. The extension of EU Mobility Package rules to light commercial vehicles — vans between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes performing international cross-border transport — takes effect on 2026-07-01. From that date, operators must fit a second-generation smart tachograph (G2V2) and comply with driving and rest time rules previously applicable only to heavy-duty trucks.

IRU's own LCV readiness survey found only 27.7% of operators report being ready for the 2026-07-01 deadline, with 88% of the relevant fleet still requiring a retrofit. The European Labour Authority has published comprehensive guidance covering tachograph requirements, driving and rest time, and posting obligations for the van sector. Turki will also inherit the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the EU Weights and Dimensions Directive, where IRU and the European Commission have been working toward a pragmatic deal on zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

For operators managing cross-border road freight in this environment, understanding both the advocacy landscape and the compliance calendar is becoming part of daily planning. Check Logifie's carrier tools and the get-quote service to plan competitive, compliant cross-border moves as costs and rules continue to shift.