Brussels, 21/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has found itself with its back against the wall when it comes to responding to the problem of 'social dumping' in the road transport sector.
While Western European countries are arming themselves unilaterally to confront this issue, countries from Eastern Europe and representatives from the sector, have expressed their discontent to the Commission. The latter is seriously examining the question but has not promised any answers in this regard. Two European Commissioners will be discussing the issue in Berlin next week.
Sanctions in France and Belgium. National measures aimed at tackling social dumping in the transport sector have significantly increased over the past few months. France and Belgium have introduced legal provisions for the strict application of Regulation 561/2006 on lorry drivers' working time in Europe. Road hauliers, whose drivers are caught sleeping in their lorry cabins, could be subject to fines of up to €30,000. In a letter sent to the European Commission on 15 January, the Business Europe association sharply criticised these new measures, which it said were causing a lot of uncertainty and having a negative impact on the way the internal market was functioning. It has called on the Commission to provide a clear interpretation of European legislation in this connection.
Minimum wage in Germany. The introduction of a minimum wage of €8.5 since 1 January in Germany is also causing some concern because international transport companies that are not based in the country will have to comply with it. The Polish and Hungarian authorities, as well as representatives from the sector have spoken sharply to the Commission about this initiative. The association representing freight logistics, CLECAT, called on the Commission for clarification, in the middle of last December. CLECAT referred to a significant commercial risk this could cause to the industry and called on the Commission to ensure the entry into force of the German minimum wage in the sector was postponed, in the absence of clear information, so that transport companies would have the time to prepare for it.
Commission assessment. Faced with pressure from MEPS on the Commission over the past few months, in an effort to ensure that European responses are developed to tackle the problem of social dumping in this sector (see EUROPE 11219), the director-general of DG Move, Joao Aguiar Machado, examined the subject at the transport committee (TRAN), on Tuesday 20 January. He asserted that the Commission was concerned about it but that it was taking its time to look into it. According to him, the situation in France and Belgium is “an obvious example of the lack of clarity”. The Commission will be working with the two countries concerned to examine the conditions for implementing European rules. Machado also indicated that “once the situation has been evaluated, we will decide on what to do”. On the question of the minimum wage in Germany, the director general said that the Commission would be asking the German authorities for a better understanding of the scope of this measure and for them to explain how it is going to be applied. Machado said that he was keen to work together with MEPs to propose future solutions, “if this proves necessary”.
The respective European Commissioners for transport and social affairs, Violeta Bulc and Marianne Thyssen, will be meeting the German authorities next week. The question of the minimum wage and fighting against social dumping will definitely be discussed, confirmed one European source. (MD)