Application of posting rules to international road transport

30.10.2017

Question for written answer P-006737-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Rolandas Paksas (EFDD)

The Commission has submitted a proposal whereby, as regards wages, leave, and related administrative matters, the requirements applicable to international transport drivers are those of the host country. The work of drivers engaged in international carriage by road vehicles is, by nature, mobile, and the abovementioned rules would therefore create an inordinate administrative and financial burden for Lithuania and other Member States.

Not only will they make accounting more difficult, but they will lead to financial inequality among drivers, as drivers’ income will depend more on the places where they are sent and not on the work carried out. If this form of legal regulation were to be imposed, businesses, and small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, would be deterred from operating in other Member States, and the resulting adverse effect on economic competitiveness would not be confined to the particular sector, but would affect most of the Member States. In addition, carriers registered in non-EU countries would gain a competitive advantage in relation to EU carriers.

Is a Commission proposal of this kind compatible with EU market principles, first and foremost the free movement of services? Does it make for fair competition, as opposed to constraining the market?

Indeed, are the measures being applied, or to be applied, intended to prevent the relocation of road transport business and protect carriers in central and eastern European countries from possible competition from foreign carriers?

Is the Commission considering the possibility of making an exception to Directive 96/71/EC, on the posting of workers, as far as international road transport is concerned?