The European Commission believes that Germany
is going too far with its mandatory minimum wage for foreign lorry drivers. Germany
is said to be disproportionately hindering the free movement of goods and services
by imposing the minimum wage requirement. Brussels is therefore launching what is known as
infringement proceedings.
This involves looking at other
measures to combat unfair competition and the exploitation of drivers
. The committee is not, in principle, opposed to the idea of a minimum wage, but believes
that its implementation would entail too much red tape.
Update: Meanwhile, Brussels has put forward a proposal to reduce the administrative burden. The commission wants the German minimum wage not to apply to hauliers who make at most 10 per cent of their trips a year through Germany, German news agency DPA reported.
Read also: 'Transport sector weighed down by different rules EU member states'
Combating competition from cheap drivers
Germany introduced the minimum wage of 8.50 for all drivers delivering in the country. The country's transport sector was suffering from competition from cheap drivers from nearby countries in Eastern Europe. The minimum wage there initially also applied to trucks in transit, not loaded or unloaded in Germany, but that arrangement has now been suspended.
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