The Association of Employers Transport and Logistics Poland (TLP) raises an alarm: Brussels is finalizing regulations that will strike at the very foundation of Polish transport companies’ operations. Meanwhile, the Polish government remains silent, even though its representatives are currently leading the work of the EU Council.
In April of this year, the Council of the European Union adopted a negotiating mandate for talks with the European Parliament concerning amendments to regulations on the coordination of social security systems. Key changes are expected to include, among others, a new definition of a “company’s seat” and an obligation to report the posting of workers.
“One may get the impression that this issue has been concealed from the public and relevant stakeholders so that no one could obstruct the swift adoption of the new regulations,”
says Maciej Wroński, President of TLP.
These new regulations could mean bureaucratic chaos for Polish carriers, including the requirement to register workers in foreign social security systems—depending on the location where services are rendered—which, in turn, could significantly increase operational costs. The industry warns that this may paralyze company operations and reduce the market share of Polish transport firms by up to 40%.
“A Polish driver performing a transport operation from Italy to France will simultaneously be subject to several legal systems—this is an absurdity that entirely destabilizes business operations,” explains the TLP president. Robert Lisicki, a labour law expert at the Lewiatan Confederation, adds: “The amendment of EU regulations threatens not only road transport but also other sectors providing services within the EU’s internal market.”
The Association of Employers Transport and Logistics Poland is calling on Prime Minister Donald Tusk to take immediate action. In a letter addressed to the head of government, the association warns: if Poland fails to halt these regulations, the Polish Presidency of the EU Council will go down in history as a failure of the current administration.
But this is not merely a matter of prestige. The potential losses for the Polish sector—and not just this sector—could be enormous: the Association estimates that contributions to the Polish Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) could decrease by several billion zlotys annually. Moreover, workers would face years of struggle to obtain their benefits from foreign institutions.
“A driver who switches between social security systems over many years will, upon retirement, quite literally have to claw back their money from several countries. This is an absurdity that will discourage people from taking up work in the transport sector,”
Wroński emphasizes.