site.btaHauliers Union Threatens to Stage Protest to Brussels

Sofia, June 19 (BTA) - The Union of International Haulers (UIH) is considering protests in Brussels if the European Parliament rejects the demands of the industry on the contentious texts in the EU Mobility Package. This transpired from a statement Tuesday by UIH Chairman Angel Trakov at a BTA-hosted news conference. Other affected countries form Central and Eastern Europe will be invited to join in the protest which will be a last resort if Bulgaria fails to receive support and a reasoned opinion on the contentious requirements at the EP session in early July.

Also, hauliers threatened with proposing a referendum on Bulgaria leaving the European Union, said the leaders of the organizaton.

Last week, MEPs refused to mandate the EP transport committee on the texts which made concessions to Bulgarian demands, said Trakov.

Under a new provision trucks should return every three weeks to the country where they are registered. This means that every 3,000 Bulgarian trucks will have to make a stop in Bulgaria.

Madlen Kavrukova, a legal adviser to the UIH, said that this text proved that the real aim is to impose restrictions on the haulage businesses. She said that this runs counter to the EU treaty which bans restrictions on the free provision of services within the EU.

The new measures will render uncompetitive haulage services based in Eastern and Central Europe, said Trakov, adding that this also affects countries such as Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia and the island EU nations.

The UIH said that headway was made in the course of the negotiations but new texts had also appeared.

The Union urges for the adoption of the common position of the industry, with alternative proposals on the contentious texts based on the texts voted by the EP committee on transport. Also all 17 Bulgarian MEPs should solicit support from the other affected countries and the parliamentary parties should exert influence on the groups in the European Parliament of which they are members.

The Union recalled that it has as members 430 companies with over 10,000 trucks. The total investments add up to between 1 and 1.5 billion leva.