On 4 June, the Transport Committee (TRAN) of the European Parliament will vote on the Proposal amending Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 on minimum requirements on maximum daily and weekly driving times, minimum breaks and daily and weekly rest periods, and Regulation (EU) 165/2014 on positioning by means of tachographs. The construction industry, represented by EBC and FIEC, welcomes the compromise proposal allowing national exemptions for the construction industry, but is very concerned about the proposed widening of the legislative scope to include light commercial vehicles (LCVs) engaging in cross-border trade.
Increased scope to include LCVs complicates activities of construction enterprises operating in border regions (Article 2)
The European construction industry is concerned by the proposed compromise amendment on Article 2 that reduces the maximum permissible mass of the vehicles to which the legislation applies from 3.5 tonnes to 2.4 tonnes, if goods are transported between two Member States. This means that construction enterprises will have to install tachographs in all vehicles used for the carriage of goods in a radius of more than 100 km from the base of their undertaking, in case the place of destination is another Member State. Construction enterprises and related crafts (e.g. plumbers and joiners) already face burdensome and costly challenges because of these legislations. In certain cases, such an extension of the scope could even put enterprises which operate in border regions at the risk of closure due to higher financial and administrative burdens.
|
EBC and FIEC encourage the TRAN Committee to reconsider its position on the compromise amendment regarding Article 2. |
National exemptions for the construction sector will ease burdens for enterprises (Article 13)
The European construction industry is pleased to see that the TRAN committee proposes to allow national exemptions for the construction sector. In fact, it is consistent that the construction sector can benefit from the same possibility for national exemptions as e.g. agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Construction enterprises typically only transport material, equipment and workers within a geographically limited area for the purpose of a specific construction site. Hence the exemption is essential for the construction sector and should be applied in all Member States.
|
EBC and FIEC support the proposed compromise amendment on Article 13 because it recognises that transport is not the primary business of construction enterprises. |