The Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union presented the Ambassadors of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) with a fourth negotiating mandate with the European Parliament on the revision of the Directive (2006/1) on the use of vehicles hired without drivers in road transport on Wednesday 10 June. However, the initiative did not receive sufficient support from the EU27.
It is therefore up to the German Presidency, which will take office on 1 July, to try to reach a political agreement on this text.
In May 2017, the European Commission proposed the revision of the directive as part of the ‘first mobility package’, to allow companies in the sector to use hired vehicles in any EU Member State.
Discussions on this dossier, echoing those on the controversial social and market aspects of the ‘first mobility package’, had been put on hold and could only be resumed in January under the Croatian Presidency (see EUROPE 12399/10).
Despite the important progress made in recent months on the ‘mobility package’ (see EUROPE 12502/3), it would appear that some still see this as an obstacle. Several Member States do not intend to start negotiations with the Parliament on the use of vehicles hired without drivers until the negotiations on the 'mobility package' are definitively closed.
New draft compromise
The revised text, which Coreper discussed on Wednesday and of which EUROPE has obtained a copy, includes some slight changes compared to the draft compromise presented at the beginning of the Croatian mandate (see EUROPE 12399/10).
In particular, the Presidency has introduced the possibility of submitting documents certifying the conformity of vehicles with the Directive in electronic form - and not only on paper.
The new text also contains some clarifications concerning the registration in national registers of hired vehicles which have been registered or brought into conformity with the legislation of a Member State other than that in which the undertaking is established.
Lastly, States will no longer be obliged to provide the Commission with information on their tax revenues.
The Directive provides for a report on the implementation and effects of the revised Directive to be submitted to the European Parliament and the EU Council no later than five years after the deadline for transposition of the new Directive. This report, for which the Commission will be responsible, will notably have to “pay special attention” to the effects of the Directive on the use of certain types of vehicles, road safety, checks and the tax revenues of the Member States.
On the latter point, however, the Croatian draft compromise foresees that the information can be provided to the Commission “on a voluntary basis”. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)