Brussels – The International Road Transport Union (IRU) welcomes the European Commission’s move to propose a consolidated legislative package on access to the road transport market and access to the profession.
Hubert Linssen, IRU General Delegate to the EU, said, “The IRU has already identified and communicated to the Commission the main problem areas, and it is satisfied to see that, in many respects, the European Commission has followed the industry's approach and proposals. The road transport industry is now willing and ready to participate actively in the follow-up debates that will shape for decades to come the basic legislative framework of commercial road transport in the European Union and beyond.”
Indeed, the proposals will require further assessment and adaptation, especially regarding road freight cabotage. Also, it is regrettable that an application to operate a regular bus or coach line can be refused if it affects a comparable public service.? Moreover, in order to be consistent with its approach, the Commission should include taxis in an EU-wide system of access to the profession, as already suggested by the taxi industry itself.
The IRU also welcomes the fact that the European Commission now requires Member States to vigorously apply the Working Time Directive to 'bogus self employed drivers', who are forced into that status by companies seeking to avoid social security payments and other responsibilities, such as compliance with the Working Time Directive.
Over the past years, the industry has anticipated and developed its own initiatives to help establish some of the cornerstones of the future EU transport policy framework, such as the accreditation of training institutes. Today, the IRU Academy relies on a constantly expanding global network of Accredited Training Institutes (ATIs) in more than 30 countries, most of which are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), covered by this legislation.