Talks on social and market aspects of the first mobility package are still intense at the European Parliament, and rapporteurs on the three problematic texts (posting of hauliers, cabotage, driving and resting time/smart tachographs) will present written draft compromises next week.
EUROPE understands that this was the outcome of the meeting of negotiators on the three texts that was held on Wednesday 10 October, two days after the coordinators’ meeting. There are still significant differences among MEPs, but it seems all the same that consensus is emerging on the need to reach compromises over a relatively short time frame.
The key question at the talks is application of the posting of haulier rules. Deep divisions were manifest at the votes in the transport committee and in the June and July plenaries (see EUROPE 12034, 12055) between supporters of exclusion and supporters of strict application of the posting rules for international transport. In the end, all the draft reports were rejected.
At the 10 October meeting, the ‘Danish solution’ was discussed as a possible compromise. No written documents were presented, however, and it would appear that the Danish solution concept varies among MEPs, particularly between those prepared to accept such an exclusion from the application of posting for strictly bilateral operators or those based on a similar solution to the one presented recently by the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12113).
If this posting question were settled, it would be possible to make progress on the other two texts on cabotage, on the one hand, and driving and resting times and smart tachygraphs, on the other.
The presentation of written draft compromises next week by the three rapporteurs – Merja Kyllönen (GUE/NGL, Finland), Ismail Ertug (S&D, Germany) and Wim Van de Camp (EPP, the Netherlands) – will precede a new meeting of the text negotiators in Strasbourg the following week.
In terms of timing, the EPP would push for the reports to be voted on at the November plenary. Several other MEPs, including Karima Delli (Greens/EFA), chair of the European Parliament’s transport committee, want the draft reports to first be put to the vote in committee. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)