Europe must end unfair competition in the transport sector

MEP Mark Demesmaeker wants the European Commission to enable Member States to tackle social irregularities and unfair competition in the transport sector. “We must put an end to the modern slavery that is making it difficult for many Flemish carriers merely to survive,” he says.

At the end of May, European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc is to put forward her plans to improve the operation of the European transport sector. With a resolution, the European Parliament is already adopting its own position now. MEP Helga Stevens thinks that excessive European harmonisation in terms of social legislation is a bad idea: “We must close the back doors in the European rules and improve the transport sector.”

Improving the transport sector

Mark Demesmaeker hopes that the European Court of Justice will follow the advice of the advocate general, with the result among other things that a driver is no longer permitted to spend his or her weekly rest times in his or her lorry. “If the Court follows that reasoning, it will be a major victory in the fight against social dumping,” says Mark Demesmaeker. “As a result, it will become a lot more difficult for unscrupulous companies to use underpaid and untrained drivers. And that’s a good thing for our Flemish SMEs, which do follow the rules.”

Logistics hub Flanders

Social dumping, lethal emissions and the numerous traffic fatalities are crying out for better cooperation. Mark Demesmaeker hopes that the European Commission understands that the situation must urgently change. “The European transport sector is of inestimable value to our economy and creates employment for about five million Europeans,” he continues. “Thanks to the logistics hub that is Flanders, our Flemish carriers play a crucial role in this. The Flemish transport sector provides added value of 9.2 percent to Flemish GDP The gross domestic product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country, both by companies and the government. This term is usually used as a benchmark for a country’s prosperity. This is why the N-VA closely follows the evolution of the Belgian GDP. GDP . So the sector deserves our full support.”