The European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc met on January 9 with the EU Transport Ministers from Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania and Poland to discuss legislative reforms for the road transport sector.
“Europe needs clear rules for the road transport sector. Status quo is not an option! Without a solution, we will face a multiplication of uncoordinated national requirements. This would fragment the Internal Market, creating uncertainty, higher costs and a loss of competitiveness for the EU!” the Commissioner said after the meeting.
“To address these challenges, in May 2017 the Juncker Commission put forward a number of important legislative reforms as part of the mobility package. These measures will make a real difference for both drivers and operators. Clear and common rules enforced across all Member States will create a genuine level playing field. That means that hauliers will operate under the same conditions. All these measures will also improve the working conditions of drivers. They will help respond to the current shortage of drivers affecting the entire European industry. The application of posting rules will ensure fair remuneration when operating in other Member States, taking into account the highly mobile nature of the workers in this sector. This will substantially reduce the administrative burden on operators,” she added.
As part of the State of the Union address of last year and in the Letter of Intent 2018 to the European Parliament and Council, President Jean-Claude Juncker has specifically called for a swift adoption of the Mobility Package proposals addressing the social dimension of the Single Market.
