More than 3000 Bulgarian trucks will come out of the European market due to certain texts in the Mobility package. This was stated by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Ivaylo Moskovski at the conference "The European Future of Transport from Central and Eastern Europe".
"We do not want to encourage the emigration of Bulgarian drivers to European countries because this will happen after the implementation of the proposals as such. A few years ago, when the talks about implementing of certain restrictive rules for the Bulgarian haulers started, we reacted sharply by firmly defending the Bulgarian haulers’ rights and adhering to the European principles of free movement of goods, people and capital”, said Ivaylo Moskovski. In his words, the Bulgarian position has always been firm about these issues and it is right to find a consensual solution that protects the interests of all countries.
We have disputes with some of the EU countries on several issues, Moskovski said. The first topic relates to the obligation for drivers to return home as well as to do so after a certain period. On this issue, the Minister said that Bulgaria as a country on the geographic periphery of the EU is at disadvantage because it will take a long time for the drivers to go back to the country at a fixed interval. He also pointed out that drivers, as free citizens of the Union, have the full right to choose where to have their rests. Therefore, Bulgaria is strongly opposed to this proposal. The position we are going to defend is haulers to allow their drivers to rest for a certain period, and the drivers to choose where and how to spend their time when they are not at work.
The second topic is related to the proposal to ban the weekly rest in the vehicles’ cabs, the minister said. He pointed out that there are many ambiguities that will cause serious difficulties for the haulers, mainly because of the insurers' requirement that it is not allowed to leave the cargo and vehicles unattended. According to Minister Moskovski, this means that drivers can not rest in hotels that do not have guarded parking lots. The Minister said that on this issue the Bulgarian side is ready to agree only when there are built parking areas with security and the necessary conditions for the drivers. In his words, we have the assurance of the EC that work is being done to build such areas, but when will it become - it is unclear.
On the topic related to the payment of the posted drivers, Minister Ivaylo Moskovski announced that there are many ambiguities and no methodology for calculating these rates. He added that according the European Commission these rules would also apply to third-country hauliers, but the EU does not have the power and mechanisms to effectively control whether non-EU haulers comply with these requirements, which leads to unfair competition. The Bulgarian proposal is the calculation of the daily allowance according to the country’s legislation where a driver stays to be made after seven consecutive days of work per month.
On the fourth topic, for the cabotage, the minister emphasized that Bulgaria is ready for concessions for this mode of transport, regarding the number of the days and operations per month.
Minister Ivaylo Moskovski declares his willingness to walk out the Council of Ministers for Transport as a protest if these force-imposed restrictive measures by the EC are adopted.
