Difficulties in implementation of the working time directive

18 Oct Difficulties in implementation of the working time directive

12 September 2011– Today the Commissioner for Transport Mr. Siim Kallas, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the European Parliament and a representative of the Polish Presidency met to discuss the level of implementation of Directive 2002/15/EC on working time in the field of road transport, with particular regard to the status of self-employed which are currently in scope.  At the meeting great difficulties to implement the directive arose.
14 Member States should provide more information about the status of implementation of the directive. Even those MEPs who rejected the EC’s proposal to exempt self-employed drivers in June 2010 have asked for guidance, handbooks etc, clearly showing awareness of the encountered difficulties. Commissioner Kallas was not able to provide this clarification.
Such circumstances substantially confirm the goodness of the approach of the rejected EC proposal and also of UETR position on the matter, based on a concrete and realistic approach and not ideological preconceptions.