Poland appeals against minimum wage in France

Alongside Central and Eastern European states, countries such as Spain, Portugal and Ireland have issued a joint appeal against a new law, which would also be applicable to lorries transiting through France.

Warsaw, which asked for the Tuesday summit of EU’s transport ministers to be held, says the new regulations would infringe the principles of a European single market and freedom of services.

“If you eliminate our drivers, who will transport goods on your roads?” Poland’s infrastructure minister, Andrzej Adamczyk, asked at a discussion in Luxembourg.

“You won’t find enough drivers in France and Germany to cover the entire freight traffic, should workers from Europe’s eastern countries be eliminated from competition.”

France is following in the footsteps of Germany, which introduced a minimum rate of EUR 8.5 an hour for lorry drivers in 2015. The law was, however, suspended after the European Commission launched a legal procedure against Berlin, citing an infringement of European rules. (aba)

Source: IAR, PAP