Brussels, 23/ 04/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 23 April 2009, the bla confiemd the agremeetn struck with the Council on the road transport package by adopting two reports in second reading by Belgian MEP Mathieu Grosch (on access to the internatioanl freight road transprot market and access to bus and coach transport services) and a report by Romanian MEP Sylvia - Adriana Ticau on access to the job of professional lorry driver. The compromise emerged after long and inconclusive examinations at the European Parliament (EPP-ED and ALDE watned full liberalsiatino of cabotage in 2014, unlike the PES and the Nordic Left), and authorises partial liberalisation of road cabotage in return for guarantees for nation states, which keep the option of using safeguard clauses and social guarantees to counter the liberalisatno (see EUROPE 9870). The cabotage rules will come into force six months after the regulation is published in the Official Journal. At the same time, the regulation on access to transport services will reintorudce into EU legislation the possilbity of postponing drivers' rest periods for drivers who occasionally driver passengers to other countries (the twelve days rule). The reports were adopted by a large marjority but the EP rejected the liberal group amendments calling for unrestricted liberalisation of cabotage. (A.By. trans fl)