The chairwoman of the European Parliament's Transport Committee, Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, France), sent a letter to European Parliament President Antonio Tajani (EPP, Italy) on Monday 4 February inviting the chairmen of the political groups to vote directly in plenary on the social and market aspects of the first ‘mobility’ package (posting of drivers, driving and resting time, tachograph, market access and cabotage), without going back through the parliamentary committee.
This new recommendation follows a first letter without a recommendation addressed to Mr Tajani, whereas the coordinators of Parliament's Transport Committee had not succeeded in reaching agreement on the procedure to be followed for these cases on 21 January (see EUROPE 12177, 12176). This followed the parliamentary committee meeting on 10 January, where the reports on posting and driving and resting time were rejected, unlike the report on cabotage (see EUROPE 12169).
As the EPP changed its position on the matter last week (see EUROPE 12182), a new majority around the EPP, S&D, ALDE, GUE/NGL and ENF groups voted on all three texts directly in plenary session. On the other hand, a minority made up of the ECR, Greens/EFA and EFDD groups want to go back to Parliament's Transport Committee.
According to our information, a joint alternative letter, which should be sent on Tuesday 5 February by some Central and Eastern European governments to Mr Tajani, should recommend not to vote directly in the Parliament plenary session as things stand at present.
It is now up to the Parliament Conference of Presidents, which meets on Thursday 7 February, to decide on the procedure to be followed. If the Presidents decide to vote directly on the texts in plenary session, the votes could take place as early as next week.
The textual basis for the votes would then be the report voted for cabotage and the Commission's two initial proposals on posting and driving and resting 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). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)