Members of the European Parliament's ‘transport’ committee will have to vote on Tuesday, 2 April on the hundreds of amendments tabled on the social and market aspects of the first ‘mobility’ package (posting of drivers, driving time and rest periods, tachograph, cabotage and market access), with the aim of 'filtering' them ahead of the Brussels mini plenary session on 3 and 4 April.
A very long meeting of the Parliament's ‘transport’ committee is waiting for MEPs on Tuesday. The European Parliament's services have indeed provided for parliamentarians to vote during six and a half hours (2.30 pm - 9 pm) on all amendments relating to these sensitive road transport issues.
Following the decision of Mr. Tajani, President of the European Parliament, taken in the evening of Tuesday, 26 March (see EUROPE 12223/1), MEPs will thus, under Rule 175 of the institution's Rules of Procedure, try to 'filter' these amendments.
First, they will vote on them. If an amendment receives the support of one third of the members of the parliamentary committee (17 votes threshold), it can then be put to the vote at the Parliament's mini plenary session on Thursday 4 April.
Then, on this same model, they will decide on a request for a separate vote (requested by the ECR group) and a split vote. If the 17-vote threshold is reached, then the ECR group may ask to unravel the blocks of amendments during the mini-plenary to vote on each amendment separately.
Many of the amendments are expected to have the support of 17 MEPs. The 'filtering', as wanted by Mr. Tajani, may not be so obvious. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)