On Tuesday 19 June, MEPs on the Parliament’s employment and social affairs committee (EMPL) adopted (29 votes for, 18 against) an Opinion drafted by Martina Dlabajová (ALDE, Czech Republic). This will be put to a vote during the next plenary session because some of their amendments relating to posted workers in the road transport sector were not retained by the transport committee.
One of the 10 or so amendments put to a vote include amendment 30, which stipulates that the posted workers directive applies to the road sector from the first day in cases involving international transport operations or cabotage. In this regard, the Commission wanted to introduce an exception when the duration of the posting was less or equal to three days. The EMPL committee is requesting that transit be excluded from the directive (amendment 29) and that all vehicles are equipped with the smart tachograph from 2 January 2020 (amendment 26).
This is a procedural vote following the rejection of the different negotiating mandates during the plenary session on the mobility package on 14 June last (see EUROPE 12041). According to the Parliament’s internal regulation, a report voted on at the transport committee has to be put to a vote again during the July plenary session (art.69, c, 3).
Moreover, according to another article in the internal regulation (art. 54, 1), it is possible for a committee, in cases involving competencies shared with the lead committee on a legislative dossier, to directly put amendments to a vote during a plenary session when they have not been retained by the lead committee.
It should be recalled that the rapporteur voted against his own Opinion after it had been significantly modified during the vote last April (see EUROPE 12010). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)