Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-02-Speech-4-022"
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"en.20060202.4.4-022"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, throughout the work on these two directives, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe has been an adherent of more stringent monitoring of compliance with the rules on driving and resting times, and we welcome the digital tachograph, for there is a need for more uniform and consistent enforcement of the rules. We need this with a view to road safety, and we need it in order to ensure fair conditions of competition for those haulage contractors and drivers who observe the rules. Infringements of the legislation must be detected, and the culprits punished. We have, however, been more sceptical about significant changes to the rules themselves, where driving and resting times are concerned. It is a fact that the rules are complicated, but they are well established and they are known by the drivers. If we change them, we must change them for the better.
With the conciliation now arrived at between Parliament and the Council, I believe, however, that we have found a sensible balance, and we in the ALDE Group are able to support the conciliation. The rules are being simplified, which, in certain cases, also means that they are becoming less flexible. In future, it will not be possible to divide the daily resting time into several shorter rest periods. The rules will require a daily rest period divided into periods of nine and three hours. In return, however, the rules will be relaxed at other points, granting, for example, more flexible rules in connection with ferry services. What is also important is that the rules are now also to cover lorries from third countries, which do not come within the AETR agreement. It is important for lorry drivers to be fully rested, irrespective of whether they come from Denmark or Ukraine.
The issue of monitoring drivers’ working time has been important in the negotiations. The ALDE Group was opposed to the police being handed responsibility for monitoring compliance with the rules governing drivers’ working time. Such monitoring is organised very differently from one country to another, and that is something we have to accept. That does not mean that we do not want to see the Working Time Directive for drivers enforced, and I would indeed call on the Commission to monitor implementation of the Working Time Directive and ensure that all countries monitor and enforce it in a uniform manner, so that there is no distortion of competition in this area, either. Bus and coach owners will not be satisfied with the result of the conciliation. It will become more difficult to organise bus and coach journeys in the same way as at present, when drivers may make themselves available for more than six days in a row. I regret that we were unable to obtain a more flexible solution in this case. Otherwise, I am satisfied with the overall result, and I thank Mr Markov and the shadow rapporteur for their efforts.
The fact is, the legislation surrounding digital tachographs has been called a farce because it has for so long been uncertain when it would be introduced. Faced with changing announcements about the rules, haulage contractors have found themselves in a legal vacuum. I think that the farce now needs to come to an end, and I would therefore conclude by putting the following question to Commissioner Barrot: will you guarantee that when, in a year’s time, the new legislation on driving and resting times is brought into force, account will be taken of the problems involved in converting the digital tachographs from the present rules to the new ones? Are you able to guarantee that, Commissioner?"@en1
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