In the key issue of cabotage - when and to what degree may a haulier from one Member State collect and deliver goods within another Member State - Parliament agreed with the Commission that, for the time being, when a haulier takes a delivery to another Member State, he or she may then make three consecutive cabotage operations (i.e. collections and deliveries within that Member State) before returning to their home country within seven days. Parliament wants, however, to see these restrictions phased out. By 378 votes to 294, it adopted a provision increasing the permitted number of cabotage operations to seven with effect from two years after the entry into force of the legislation, and then abolishing all restrictions on the number and duration of cabotage operations on 1 January 2014.
By adopting a report by Adriana Ticau, by 634 votes in favor to 288 against with 45 abstentions, Parliament has set the outlines for stricter licensing rules for those providing road transport services. It endorses, in particular, proposals to ensure transport managers are properly qualified, provisions on the good repute of an operator, and the withdrawal of licences of operators guilty of serious infringements.
