EU Driver's hours - update
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Conciliation for the new European drivers' hours' regulations (and the agreed implementation date for digital-tachographs) should end on Tuesday 6th December 2005. Final rubber-stamping by the European Parliament should take place on January 16 next year
As already confirmed in ROADWAY magazine the EU drivers' hours'
proposals (which include the digital tachograph implementation date)
will not be re-visited until the conciliation process takes place.
We now know that the start date for the conciliation process is likely to be Wednesday 12th October 2005. The specific procedure of conciliation is usually a 6-week period, but the treaty also allows for an additional 2 weeks, which are usually taken. Therefore, conciliation should end on Tuesday 6th December 2005. It is "highly unlikely" that agreement will not be reached at this time.
At the end of the above period we should at last know the contents of the new drivers' hours regulations (and the agreed implementation date for digi-tachs!) although until the facts are officially published in the Official Journal we will not have reached the end of the process. However, we should at least have an implementation date to work towards before we reach the "period of toleration date" - 1st January 2006.
Once conciliation has taken place and agreement reached the next key date is Tuesday 17th January 2006, as this is the date upon which any agreed text is simultaneously sent to the European Parliament and the European Council for their agreement at the 3rd Reading (hopefully "rubber stamping").
The final step is publication in the Official Journal. It is hoped we are at last nearing the end of this sag.
We now know that the start date for the conciliation process is likely to be Wednesday 12th October 2005. The specific procedure of conciliation is usually a 6-week period, but the treaty also allows for an additional 2 weeks, which are usually taken. Therefore, conciliation should end on Tuesday 6th December 2005. It is "highly unlikely" that agreement will not be reached at this time.
At the end of the above period we should at last know the contents of the new drivers' hours regulations (and the agreed implementation date for digi-tachs!) although until the facts are officially published in the Official Journal we will not have reached the end of the process. However, we should at least have an implementation date to work towards before we reach the "period of toleration date" - 1st January 2006.
Once conciliation has taken place and agreement reached the next key date is Tuesday 17th January 2006, as this is the date upon which any agreed text is simultaneously sent to the European Parliament and the European Council for their agreement at the 3rd Reading (hopefully "rubber stamping").
The final step is publication in the Official Journal. It is hoped we are at last nearing the end of this sag.
