Negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union failed to reach agreement on the delicate issue of the social and market aspects of the ‘mobility I’ package (posting of lorry drivers, driving and resting time, tachographs, cabotage and market access) on Tuesday 26 November, during the third session of interinstitutional negotiations (‘trilogue’) held in Strasbourg.
The discussions, which began at 7 p.m. and ended shortly after 2 a.m., focused mainly on political issues, i.e. those on which the European Parliament and EU Council positions are furthest apart.
As feared (see EUROPE 12367/15), it quickly became apparent that the positions of the two parties were irreconcilable, in particular with regard to the reference period for drivers’ rest periods. This is reportedly the subject that has crystallised the most tensions between the two institutions, each having made its position in this area a red line not to be crossed.
In concrete terms, the political agreement (‘general approach’) reached between the Member States provides that a driver may take two reduced weekly rest periods (24 hours) consecutively (see EUROPE 12152/10), which Parliament categorically rejects (see EUROPE 12229/1).
However, there has reportedly been some progress on other policy issues, such as the inclusion of light commercial vehicles (vans) in the scope of the new provisions that would regulate both the rest time of drivers and the presence of a second generation tachograph in vehicles. The EU Council would thus be ready to accept Parliament’s proposal to include vans in the Regulation, but with a fairly long transition period.
The negotiators also reportedly reached a provisional partial agreement on the prohibition for a driver to spend their regular weekly rest period (45 hours) in their truck, as well as on the introduction of second generation tachographs in heavy goods vehicles.
Finally, the return of trucks to the country of establishment of the company employing the drivers, another highly sensitive subject, was reportedly hardly discussed.
The next trilogue is scheduled for 9 December. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)