EPP MEPs from the European Parliament's Transport Committee finally supported a vote in European Parliament plenary session on the social and market aspects of the first ‘mobility’ package (posting of drivers, rest and driving time, tachograph, market access and cabotage) without going through the parliamentary committee again, which could have an impact on the final decision in procedural terms.
The procedural battle in Parliament over the social and market aspects of the first ‘mobility’ package is therefore not over. Following an internal EPP consultation of members and alternates of Parliament's Transport Committee, they voted (14 votes in favour, 11 votes against) for a vote on the three texts directly in plenary session.
This position of the EPP contrasts with its position at the coordinators' meeting of 21 January last (see EUROPE 12176), where it voted, together with the ECR and Greens/EFA groups, in favour of a new vote in Parliament's Transport Committee, after the committee's rejection, on 10 January, of the texts on posting and rest and driving time, unlike that on cabotage (see EUROPE 12169). The S&D, ALDE, GUE/NGL, ENF and EFDD groups wanted to vote directly in plenary session.
This meeting of the coordinators of the parliamentary committee did not make it possible, for lack of a majority (24 votes one way versus 24 votes the way), to make a recommendation to the conference of group chairmen to Parliament on the procedure to be followed. A letter without a recommendation was then sent to the Conference of Presidents. It is the latter entity that will have to take the final decision on 7 February on the procedure to be followed (see EUROPE 12177).
Although this new EPP position does not change the fact that it will be up to the Conference of Presidents to decide in the last resort, a recommendation for a vote in plenary session without having to go through the Transport Committee again could be made, taking into account this new balance of power.
Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, France), chairwoman of Parliament's Transport Committee, announced at the opening of the committee's meeting on Tuesday 29 January that the coordinators now had until Friday 1 February at noon to formulate their political group's position in writing on procedural matters. If there is a majority, a letter will be sent to Antonio Tajani (EPP, Italy), President of the European Parliament, by Karima Delli to make a recommendation on the procedure to be followed.
If the Conference of Presidents were to choose the option of going directly to plenary session, there might be a vote as early as the February session. The textual basis for the votes would then be the report voted for cabotage and the Commission's two initial proposals on posting and rest and driving time, to which many amendments would have to be made. These texts had already been presented in June and July in plenary session and were rejected (see EUROPE 12055).
On the side of the EU Council, after months of intense negotiations, Transport Ministers reached political agreement on these issues on 3 December last (see EUROPE 12152). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)