Brussels, 27/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - While welcoming the new measures put forward by the European Commission aiming to improve the working conditions of professional drivers (see EUROPE of 23 October, p. 9), the International Road Transport Union (IRU) warns against discrimination. The IRU recognises that the increase from 1 to 3% in the number of checks on working days performed by drivers will allow for a harmonisation of the level of checks across the EU. However the IRU feels that this will expose the inspectors, under extreme pressure, to the temptation to concentrate their checks on major companies as well as on operators of vehicles equipped with digital tachographs (measuring the hours driven by a driver), as they will be able to verify more working days in a shorter time. The IRU also fears that the checks done on vehicles equipped with digital tachographs are stricter. The association also calls for checks carried out while driving to be limited to driving and resting hours and no time of work.