Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001422/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Marit Maij (S&D), Gabriele Bischoff (S&D), Marc Angel (S&D), Johan Danielsson (S&D), Estelle Ceulemans (S&D), Marianne Vind (S&D)
In Venlo, truck drivers from Central Asia are on strike. Their employers, often based in Lithuania where the truck drivers barely work, exploit them, deny them transparent information, fail to comply with pay legislation and make them work under poor conditions; their trucks are not even heated. These employers instruct the truck drivers to manipulate their tachographs and to knowingly lie to police officers – for example, to lie that they have slept outside of their vehicle over the weekend and have been staying with family – to avoid problems of compliance with EU legislation. If the drivers demand their pay documentation and salary, the transport companies’ reaction is to threaten them and even to send men to use violence against them.
- 1.Is the Commission aware of the situation of the truck drivers in Venlo, and does the Commission intend to help find a solution to the situation that these drivers are in?
- 2.How is the Commission planning to ensure that compliance with existing legislation, such as Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 and (EU) 2020/1054 on road transport and drivers’ working conditions, and Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 on recording equipment in road transport, is better enforced?
- 3.What is the Commission’s view of the role of these transport companies’ clients, and are they also responsible for remedying such situations?
Submitted: 8.4.2025