ETF president Frank Moreels and general secretary Livia Spera met with Tomas Eneroth, Swedish Minister for Infrastructure, and Mattias Landgren, his State Secretary, in Brussels.
The atmosphere of the meeting was very open and positive, with the discussions confirming many of the shared priorities of the two parties in the realm of transport in Europe. Various topics were touched upon, including social dumping, and the spread of low-cost models throughout the transport sectors.
Both parties emphasised the need for an integrated approach when it comes to transport sectors, always taking into account the social and the environmental aspects. Affirming the importance of social dialogue that pays attention to the entire supply chain and the complete reality of the working process, they talked about the need to broaden the attention and work with economic employers – the companies for which the work is performed in a particular country, even if a different company in another country formally employs the worker.
They addressed the topic of the Mobility Package as well. While welcoming its many positive aspects, the ETF representatives stressed the need to stay attentive and keep working on it in the coming months to provide real solutions for professional drivers across Europe. Additionally, they emphasised the need to ensure the means for future enforcement controls in the EU.
Seeing the many points of agreement between the two parties, the meeting represents an important step in the creation of a Fair Transport Alliance, a Europe-wide alliance dedicated to making fair transport a reality for all transport workers in Europe.