Bulgaria and Lithuania plan to initiate a legal procedure against the upcoming new directive on the working and rest hours of truck drivers. Possibly, several other Eastern European countries will also join the complaint at the European Court of Justice.
At the end of last week, a provisional agreement was reached on improving working conditions in the European transport sector. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the European member states reached a deal behind closed doors, the text of which still has to be approved. This agreement breaks the business model of letterbox companies that many European transport companies use to employ 'cheap' drivers.
Many politicians have long agreed that something needs to be done about the often grim working conditions of professional drivers. However, countries like Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Poland, where many transport companies officially have an address, warn of economic damage if the conditions become too strict.
An earlier agreement, from the previous European Parliament, failed because it became too technical and detailed, allowing all stakeholders to find an argument to vote against it. Therefore, the new European Parliament has made arrangements with governments on a limited number of items where majorities could be found.
A highlight is that drivers must be able to take their rest at home every four to eight weeks, not at their employer's headquarters. They are also no longer allowed to camp indefinitely along the highway or sleep in their truck.
A country like Lithuania, which also has a strongly developed transport sector, calls this part “not in Lithuania's or Europe's interest”. The national transport federation warns that this could lead to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. Lithuania therefore announces it will oppose the agreement.
The European trade unions are satisfied with the result, as are various EP factions. “We have achieved a good result,” says Dutch Member of the European Parliament Vera Tax (PvdA), who negotiated on behalf of the European social-democratic faction. “Drivers can count on normal weekend rest, decent work schedules, and safe parking places.”