WRITTEN QUESTION E-1981/00

by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Council

(21 June 2000)

Subject: Rules governing working hours of professional drivers

Surveys by an international research team show that tiredness is the cause of far more traffic accidents on Europe's roads than previously assumed. Tired motorists are to blame for around 100 000 road accidents each year.

One survey shows that accidents caused by tiredness are not due primarily to long working hours but rather to the time of day or night, the number of hours that have elapsed since getting up and the length of time previously spent asleep. It is therefore extremely important to regulate rest periods for professional drivers in Europe.

The driving and rest periods of professional drivers are at present regulated by a number of directives and yet coverage is still patchy. The new proposal for a directive on the working hours of professional drivers is at present held up in the Council (transport).

When will the negotiations get going again so that all professional drivers can be covered by a single directive?

What thought is being given to ensuring that professional drivers from third countries are brought within the scope of these provisions as rapidly as possible?

Reply

(23 October 2000)

At present all drivers engaged in transporting goods by road within the Community are subject to the same rules as regards driving hours and rest periods, namely the common rules laid down by Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85(1). That Regulation permits Member States to lay down stricter rules for national transport.

Drivers from third countries which are parties to the European Agreement concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles engaged in International Road Transport (AETR) are subject to similar provisions.

Directive 2000/34/EC of 22 June 2000 amending Directive 93/104/EC concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time to cover sectors and activities excluded from that Directive(2) provides that certain provisions of the amended Directive apply to mobile workers in the road, air, inland waterway and lake transport and sea fishing sectors, namely the general provisions which guarantee adequate rest periods, a maximum working week of 48 hours, four weeks annual paid holiday and health and safety checks. The definition of working time has been left to the Member States.

The proposal for a specific Directive for road transport, submitted by the Commission in November 1998, is currently being examined by the Council's subordinate bodies.

In addition, on 22 June 2000, the Commission submitted to the European Parliament and to the Council a communication indicating the actions needed for the deployment of a global and coherent policy covering such aspects as road safety and competition in the road transport sector, as well as the economic and social aspects. The communication also covers the organisation of working time for drivers.

The Council has recently begun examining the communication against the background of the current blockage of discussions on the proposal for a Directive.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 of 20 December 1985 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport (OJ L 380, 31.12.1985, p. 1).

(2) Not yet published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.