Mobility Package rejected by the European Parliament

After lengthy negotiations, on 4 December 2018, the Council could finally recommend the first part of the Mobility Package, which mainly aimed at improving the social conditions of drivers, for a vote in the European Parliament.

Included in the first part of the mobility package was, among other things, proposals for a licensing scheme for commercial vehicles similar to the Danish “road haulage light” and the introduction of some special posting rules, which were particularly adapted to the mobile nature of the drivers' work. Under these rules, all types of cabotage and the road part of a combined transport and non-bilateral international transport, where neither the place of departure nor the destination is the country where the driver is employed, will be considered posting.

However, the negotiations on the mobility package seem to continue. Overall, the proposal was rejected by the European Parliament's Committee on Transport, except for the proposal to modify the cabotage rules so that in future there will be a five-day waiting period after the end of cabotage in one country where one cannot return and carry out cabotage in the same country. Also, there was an agreement to introduce a more precise definition of the concept of combined transport, which will be enforced uniformly across member states.

The prospects for the mobility package are still uncertain. By May, elections for the European Parliament will be held, and if the new rules are not enacted by then, the Commission will have to start over with a new proposal. So far, Parliament's Committee on Transport has given itself a week to present a new plan for the further consideration of the Mobility Package.

We expect that the political focus on the conditions in the road haulage sector will continue into 2019. NJORD Law Firm will continuously monitor the development and provide updates on significant new initiatives in the area.