The European Court of Justice (ECJ) dismissed complaints from seven countries, including Poland, regarding the EU’s Mobility Package, which introduces new regulations for truck drivers. However, the court ruled against the requirement for vehicles to return to their home base every eight weeks.
The Mobility Package, adopted by the EU in 2020, aims to improve working conditions for drivers and imposes new obligations on companies with truck fleets operating across Europe. Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, and Poland filed appeals, arguing the rules would harm their competitive edge in the European market, particularly for Central and Eastern European transport firms.
While the ECJ upheld most of the package’s provisions, emphasizing the need for fair competition and better working conditions, it annulled the vehicle return rule due to insufficient evidence of its necessity. The countries had claimed the regulations were burdensome, economically damaging, and ill-suited to the post-pandemic landscape, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.
Central and Eastern European governments believe the package, which includes mandatory rest periods outside of truck cabins and stricter regulations on driver rest times, favors protectionism and increases costs for transport services in the EU.