Brussels, 02/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday during a plenary session the European Parliament approved the agreement obtained in conciliation with the Council on the legislative package for strengthening social provisions applicable to lorry drivers. The text is far from perfect but, nevertheless, acceptable to most MEPs present but who also regretted the Council's refusal to include a direct reference in this legislative package to the directive on working time in road transport, which entered into force in March 2005. The majority of MEPs also called on the Commissioner for Transport, Jacques Barrot, to ensure that all heavy duty vehicles were equipped with the famous digital tachograph in May 2006, as laid down in the agreement. The Council should formally approve the agreement on Thursday by written procedure.
On 6 December 2005 the Council and Parliament finally agreed at the end of a difficult conciliation process on the legislative packet containing the draft regulation on working time, rest and breaks for lorry drivers and a draft directive on inspections and sanctions for non-respect of these rules. The compromise text includes: a maximum driving time of 56 hours a week and an interrupted daily rest period of 11 hours; the gradual increase of the number of inspection on roads and in companies from 1% of days worked to 3%. All new vehicles (heavy duty of more than 3.5 tonnes and buses) and those which were already equipped with analogue tachographs, should also be equipped with digital tachographs 20 days after publication of the directive in the Official Journal (next May). The packet contains a list of common infringements identified by national inspectors who are now authorised to sanction infringements committed in other Member States (EUROPE 9084).
During the debate, rapporteur Helmuth Markov (GUE/NGL, Germany), who had voted in favour in the plenary for the text but who voted against the agreement in conciliation, regretted that lorries of less than 3.5 tonnes were excluded from the directive, the absence of direct reference to directive on working time in road transport and the absence of harmonised sanctions in the EU. Markov explained, “I voted against (the agreement in conciliation) because the European parliament could have obtained more”. He called on the Commission to carry out an impact study on the behaviour of heavy duty vehicle drivers of less than 3.5 tonnes and to organise a seminar with Member States and social partners to implement the new legislation. German Social Democrat Willy Piecyk immediately announced his intention to vote against the agreement because the Council had refused to link this text to the directive on working time.
The Belgian Mathieu Grosch announced that “it would be exaggerated to say that the results meet our expectations” and this was why the EPP-ED would vote against the text. Grosch also insisted that all EU Member States put in place the digital tachographs in time, if not, those who respected Community legislation would “penalise their own companies”. The Greens will vote in favour of the agreement even though, as explained by Austrian Eva Lichtenberger, during conciliation Parliament was “confronted by a concrete wall, the Council, preventing us from going where we wanted to go”. Danish Liberal Anne Jensen also insisted that there should be “coherency with (the directive on) working time” in road transport. The GUE/NGL was also resigned to voting for the text “despite enormous concerns”, notably on the derogation obtained by smaller heavy duty vehicles, explained Erik Meijer from the Netherlands.
Despite a commotion that bordered on the acceptable, Commissioner Barrot concluded the debate with remarkable calm. He promised that “the Commission also wanted a direct link with the directive on working time. The Council did not want it. I regret this. We are going to control application of the text with more care”. He pointed out that if the ten Member States that were late in transposing the text did not make an effort then the Commission “still had the right to go to the Court of Justice”. The Commission's impact study on smaller heavy duty vehicles was ongoing and a meeting of all the interested parties was organised for this year, Barrot explained to Mr Markov. As for the introduction of digital tachographs, Mr Barrot reiterated his concerns, “I know that Italian workshops are behind as are those in other Member States. It is regrettable, as we have been very understanding…If Member States are not ready, there will not be any other delay” and the Commission would proceed to “the launch of infringement procedures”, he warned.