End clause for the negotiations on the social and market aspects of the ‘mobility I’ package (see EUROPE 12502/3). After more than 3 years of heated negotiations, the European Parliament definitively adopted on Wednesday 8 July the provisional agreement reached with the EU Council (see EUROPE 12395/7) on the three strands of this controversial package (see EUROPE 12518/7).
469 MEPs supported the directive on the posting of lorry drivers (218 opposed, 7 abstained); 524 MEPs supported the regulation on rest periods and tachographs (162 opposed, 9 abstained); 513 MEPs supported the regulation on cabotage and market access (174 opposed, 8 abstained).
The rapporteurs, Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, the Czech Republic), Henna Virkkunen (EPP, Finland) and Ismail Ertug (S&D, Germany), welcomed the outcome of the vote and hailed it as an “important step for the sector”.
For her part, Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean regretted that the package includes measures “possibly not in line with the European Green Deal’s ambitions”: the compulsory return of the vehicle to the State of establishment every 8 weeks and restrictions on combined transport operations.
“We are currently assessing the expected impact of these two aspects on the climate, the environment, and the functioning of the Single Market”, the Commissioner added, indicating that the conclusions of these studies would be ready by the end of the year and that the Commission did not rule out presenting, if necessary, a “targeted legislative proposal” before these two provisions enter into force.
Asked about this at a press conference, Mr Ertug said that he doubted that this analysis could prove negative. “We all know that this impact assessment is one part of the destructive strategy of some stakeholder”, he added, stressing that the Parliament and the Commission should work “for the all EU and not only for one Member State” (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki).