During a second reading of the ‘Mobility Package I’ on Monday 8 June, MEPs from the European Parliament’s Transport Committee (TRAN) tabled a series of amendments - 82 in total - to the provisional agreement reached in the interinstitutional negotiations on the first ‘mobility package’ (see EUROPE 12477/18).
A first set of amendments concerns the part of the package devoted to the posting of workers.
Opponents of the text reiterate, among other things, their refusal to see the rules on posted workers applied to road hauliers. For example, several MEPs are calling for the abolition of the measure providing for the application of posting rules when the transport is carried out within a Member State.
A number of amendments also relate to movement and working conditions in the EU for operators from non-Member States.
To consult the 37 amendments: https://bit.ly/2zRiJtq
Driving and resting time
For the package’s second text, on driving and resting times for lorry drivers, a number of MEPs want all weekly rest periods to be able to take place in the vehicle, provided that it is parked in a secure parking area and that lorry drivers have appropriate sleeping facilities.
The provisional agreement completely excludes the possibility of drivers sleeping in their vehicles, but some now oppose this decision on the grounds that “sleeping in the cabin would protect drivers’ health” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An amendment has also been made to the paragraph concerning the return of drivers on rest periods to the Member State where their business is based or to their place of residence. Some would like to see the words “or to any other place chosen by the driver” added to this list.
To consult the 16 amendments: https://bit.ly/36lBLEt
Cabotage and market access
With regard to the third and final part of the package, on cabotage and market access, a large number of amendments relate, unsurprisingly, to the return of lorries to the State in which the business is based, an issue which is precipitating tensions (see EUROPE 12425/2).
Some twenty MEPs are specifically proposing to abolish the measures providing for and supervising the return of the driver with his vehicle at least every 2 weeks, “in order to efficiently fight letter-box companies” and to “reduce the risk of systematic cabotage”.
According to its critics, such a measure will put some States - including islands and states on the periphery of the EU - at a disadvantage, because they “will have to cover much greater distances and overcome significant natural barriers”, say MEPs.
They further recall that this would run counter to the objectives of EU climate policy. This position was recently opposed by the chair of the TRAN Committee, Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, France - see EUROPE 12484/2).
To consult the 29 amendments: https://bit.ly/36bJ7ds (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)