site.btaParliamentary Forces Unite in Defence of Bulgarian Road Hauliers' Interests

Sofia, May 11 (BTA) - The National Assembly on Friday urged the Council of Ministers to examine the European Commission's proposed Mobility Package and take a firm stance in favour of the demands of Bulgarian road hauliers and in defence of their rights and interests as well as the rights and interests of the Bulgarian people. The parliamentary resolution was approved unanimously by all parliamentary groups on a vote of 140 in favour.

The resolution says that, taking into account the views of transport sector organizations in a number of other EU member states, the Bulgarian lawmakers fear that the proposed EU legislation may increase the expenses of Bulgarian road hauliers and may thus undermine their competitiveness.

The inclusion of international transport and coastal navigation in the scope of the legislation on posted workers is unfounded and will have a strong negative impact on the transport sector of Central and Eastern Europe and will affect the whole European economy, the MPs warned. Many small and medium-sized enterprises will be crushed and the market will be reserved only for large road hauliers.

The proposed requirement for drivers to take their prescribed weekly rest outside their vehicles will force them to leave the truckload for which they are personally responsible and will cost them additional expenses. Another serious challenge is the requirement for drivers to return "home" once every three weeks, the MPs argued in their resolution. Road transport companies will have to provide additional transportation for their employees to go back to their country, which will entail considerable expenses and will reduce the flexibility of work and rest hours.

Iskren Vesselinov, Deputy Floor Leader of the United Patriots, welcomed the unanimity of the National Assembly in favour of the Bulgarian road hauliers. Vesselinov believes that the proposed EU legislation, also known as "the Macron project," is aimed to force over 100,000 Bulgarian drivers to leave their employers in Bulgaria and move to large Western companies which have been unable to compete with the Bulgarian hauliers. "Using administrative leverage, they want to crush a major industry in Eastern Europe," Vesselinov said.

Georgi Svilenski (BSP For Bulgaria) thanked all parliamentary groups for supporting the resolution. He noted that in respect of freight transport, things are nearing completion and it is more difficult for Bulgaria to make its case, but in respect of bus transport, the time is right for the government to take a stance and make it clear that Bulgaria is opposed to such interference in economic relations.

Stanislav Ivanov (GERB) said Bulgaria has 7,000 road hauliers with under 10 trucks each and 8,000 hauliers with over 10 trucks each, and none of them will be able to operate in the EU if the new rules are adopted. The same applies to 1,600 bus companies, he added.

Yordan Tsonev (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) expressed his satisfaction with the existing consensus on the matter. According to him, the legislative project of the European Commission runs counter to EU practice and the bloc's Treaty.

Earlier in the week, at a meeting between road hauliers and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski expressed the government's full support for the operators' stand against the EU Mobility Package.