On Tuesday 23 January, a majority of MEPs at the European Parliament’s transport committee gave their support to the draft report by Wim Van de Camp (EPP, Netherlands) on road transport workers' rest times and embedded smart tachographs, revising regulations 561/2006 and 165/2014 (see EUROPE 11935).
The suggestions put forward by the Dutch MEP include one that obliges road transport companies to equip their entire fleet of vehicles with a smart tachograph by January 2020. This obtained almost unanimous support from the shadow rapporteurs, apart from Roberts Zīle (ECR, Latvia), who thought, however, that the European Commission should aim for 2023 or 2024 instead. Under the terms of the Commission's proposal dated 31 May last as part of the first “mobility" package (see EUROPE 11799), the whole fleet should be equipped with this kind of tachograph no earlier than 2034.
This question of the smart tachograph is particularly sensitive and both civil society and the member states at the Council hold differing views on the question (see EUROPE 11919). The challenge in this connection is how to inspect the conduct of road hauliers and the related provisions and assess how they will have an impact on a major part of the text in the first mobility package.
With regard to the basic suggestions on working and rest time for drivers, the majority of MEPs welcomed the openness displayed in the attitude of the rapporteur during the drafting of his text. They also warmly welcome the flexibility provided by this draft report. Keith Taylor (Greens/EFA, United Kingdom), however, remained rather dubious and requested further clarification. Christine Revault d’Allonnes Bonnefoy (S&D, France) expressed her wish to return to the European Commission proposal to make it possible to have two subsequent reduced weekly rest times during the course of a month of work.
Andor Deli (EPP, Hungary) said that this draft report would help reconcile the position of western European countries, with those in central and eastern Europe. The discussions in Parliament are therefore likely to kick off in a calm atmosphere. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)