Today a Commission proposal on road infringements was rejected by the transport committee in the European Parliament because it fell short of what is needed. The Socialists and Democrats asked the Commission to come back with a full list of serious infringements which may lead to the loss of the road transport operator's repute – which proves the operator's compliance with the requirements necessary to hold a licence.
The S&D Group has long called on the Commission to come up with legislation to protect and enforce social rights for workers and will continue its fight against social dumping and illegal cabotage*
S&D spokesperson on transport, MEP Ismail Ertug, said:
"Generally I support the Commission's efforts to introduce a list that establishes a common list of serious infringements in order to promote more efficient and effective EU-wide law enforcement. However, the Commission has failed to address an issue that has increasingly become a problem in many EU countries: the deterioration of social rights, also known as social dumping, as a result of so-called illegal cabotage.
"Hopefully our veto today has made it absolutely clear that our concerns need to be taken on board and, moreover, the fight against social dumping and illegal cabotage is a responsibility that the European Union has to take seriously."
* Illegal cabotage is when a vehicle registered in a country carries goods in another country without authorisation.
