Brussels, 22/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Further to an agreement found between social partners on the driving and resting time of bus and coach drivers, the European Parliament decided, on Wednesday 21 May, to postpone the vote on the report by Matthieu Grosch (EPP-ED, Belgium) on this issue. The EP nonetheless approved at first reading two other reports (access conditions to the profession of road haulier and access to the international freight transport market) of the “road package” by taking a stance in favour of liberalising cabotage as of 2014 and of setting up national electronic registers by 1 January 2010 at the latest setting out data on road transport companies and managers.
The package, presented by the European Commission in May this year, aims to simplify and clarify the rules governing access to the road transport profession and market (see EUROPE 9431). After a first debate in April (see EUROPE 9637), the Council will continue scrutiny of this dossier during the next Transport Council on 13 June.
Cabotage. A large number of MEPs (except for French Socialists) supported gradual phasing-out of restrictions imposed on cabotage (the possibility for a carrier not established in a member state to carry out transport operations, on a temporary basis, in another State) until their abolition on 1 January 2014. The number of consecutive cabotage operations is fixed at three (within a 7-day time limit) by the new legislation but should rise to 7 two years after the rules take effect. From 1 January 2014, road cabotage should be fully liberalised. Liberalisation, said Leonard Orban, will “have serious consequences and will not allow us to consolidate competition”. Speaking the day before the vote, the commissioner for multilingualism pointed out that a later review clause on this question would be more appropriate. “Until such revision, the regulation does not prevent complete opening of the cabotage market on condition that this is done without discrimination or on the basis of bilateral agreements between member states dating back to before the Community norms in force”, he said. Mr Grosch's report was adopted by 494 votes to 133 and 46 abstentions. On the subject of the national electronic register, MEPs said the Commission should establish a minimum structure of data to be kept in these registers by 1 January 2010 at the latest and after consultation with member states. Each register should comprise a public section with data on companies and transport managers (name, address, number of vehicles, …) and a confidential part. The latter, only accessible for relevant authorities, will comprise information on serious infringements and sanctions on companies. Also, the EP: - defined a list of infringements that will make the transport company lose its credibility and that the Commission is invited to adopt by 1 January 2010 at the latest; - increased the maximum number of companies managed by a transport manager (4 instead of 2); - and abolished the obligation of mandatory initial training (140 hrs of lessons) for managers. Their professional ability should be verified by examination, but persons able to provide proof of continuous practical experience over at least ten years in a transport company at management level, prior to publication of the present regulation, may be dispensed from the examination. The Sylvia Adriana Ticau (PES, Romnaia) report on the conditions to be met for carrying out the profession of road carrier in relation to these questions was adopted by 614 votes to 28 and 46 abstentions. Concerning the 12-day rule, the EP postponed the vote on the second report by Mr Grosch with regard to access to the bus and coach transport services market at the behest of the Socialist Group. This request was made after the agreement reached on Friday by the two road sector social partners, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the European Transport Workers Federation (ETF). The agreement aims to reintroduce by 1 January 2009 the 12-day driving derogation to EU driving and rest time rules. The derogation, which would allow drivers to postpone their weekly rest period for up to 12 consecutive 24-hour periods, was abolished by the entry into force, on 11 April 2007, of the new European legislation (EUROPE 9387). The derogation should be applicable to occasional international passenger transport (coach circuits that include at least 24 hours in a country other than that in which the trip began). With improvements, this derogation should be: - accompanied by compensatory rest measures (compulsory weekly rest of at least 45 hours); - separate from any other driving activity (compulsory rest period both before and after the activities in question); - and comply with provisions regarding night driving (45 minute break every 3 hours or the presence of a second driver). Five years after entry into force of the legal provisions making this derogation possible, all drivers using the derogation should be under the obligation to equip their vehicles with a digital tachograph. The EP will examine the agreement in order to be able to include (part of) its provisions in the future regulation. According to the IRU, the abolition of the derogation has caused the cost of coach trips to rise by 30%, which is mainly felt by very small companies (2 to 10 vehicles) accounting for 50% of the market. (A.By.)