Connect with us

EU

Road transport industry requires enforceability, simplicity and flexibility in #MobilityPackage

SHARE:

Published

7 years ago

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Ahead of the European Parliament vote on Thursday (10 January), IRU calls on MEPs not to lose sight of fundamentally important principles for the road passenger and freight transport industry, professional drivers, the economy and society. 

IRU remains supportive of compromise solutions but urges to respect four main principles to ensure the successful functioning of the internal market and safeguard European jobs:   Enforceability: Rules have to be transparent and enforceable for the authorities.  Simplicity: Rules have to be simple for road transport companies.

A patchwork of 28 solutions is not workable for transport operators and for drivers.  Flexibility:  Rules have to be flexible enough for operators and drivers, whilst guaranteeing safety. Passenger transport specific rules: the distinct nature of the bus & coach business, at the service of millions of EU passengers, has to be recognized by tailored provisions on driving time and posting. Road transport requires sufficient flexibility, including in the area of driving and rest times, in order to meet the demand of customers and society.

Companies and drivers can only mutually benefit if this correlation is clear to all decision makers. According to national surveys, for example carried out by BGL in Germany in 2018, the majority of drivers (51% out of 4056 goods drivers surveyed) ask for more flexibility on driving and rest times.

Matthias Maedge, leading IRU's activities in the EU, said: “Our industry is as concerned about the safety and wellbeing of the drivers as the trade unions. This is the reason why it is important to understand the profession and mobility needs in cross-border and international transport. A driver should be able to return within a 4-week reference period. This would also allow operators to adapt their activities, to be able to complete EU-round trips of up to three weeks. Calling for less flexibility will only deteriorate the situation in European parking areas. Although some of the current proposals on driving and rest times fall short of our expectations, they mark a good starting point for trilog negotiations.”

Share this article:

Related Topics:
EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Advertisement

Trending