The European Union is facing a serious shortage of safe and secure parking areas for professional drivers, according to a new European Commission study published on Friday, 11 April 2025.
There is currently a shortfall of 390,057 parking spaces or 3,250 parking areas, and this will only get worse, since demand is increasing. Many parking areas still have not been certified according to EU parking standards for safe and secure parking areas. This is a particularly significant problem in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain, where there are high rates of crime targeting drivers and their vehicles.
To remedy this, the study recommends strategic investments, which include quickly modernising and certifying existing areas that meet the required standards. Connectivity and digitalisation should also be improved, as they are essential factors in making secure parking areas more accessible and attractive.
A denser network of secure parking areas will likely attract a more diverse workforce, including women and young workers – thus reducing labour shortages in the long-haul road transport sector (see EUROPE 13170/4).
Read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/ge7 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)