Macron surname is probably known to anyone working in the transport industry. The former Minister of Economy and the creator of the so called Loi Macron, the minimum wage law that is annoying to the entire TSL industry, has a good chance of becoming the next president of France. What would it mean for the transport industry?
He was a writer, philosopher, banker and a minister and, if the experts’ predictions were to be confirmed, now he will become a president. An independent candidate, until recently known only to a few, is currently the only alternative to Marine Le Pen.
Transport according to Macron
“Emmanuel Macron intends to support the transport sector by means of promoting competitiveness and defending stricter inspection in the face of unfair market practices” – such words can be read in the French media.
As can be expected, the support is directed at the French market and companies and the unfair practices are the alleged “social dumping” of Eastern carriers. The presidential candidate announced that he will continue to fight against unfair competition, mainly with regard to cabotage. Macron announced that he will improve the efficiency of the of the law and order services and the “driver identification”. According to him the sanctions for breaching transport regulations should be stricter as the existing ones are too lenient since the violations are so frequent.
Moreover, the increased surveillance has been announced by the French some time ago in the so called “Savary law”, focused on the fight with companies from Central and Eastern Europe which came into force in 2014. It resulted in a ban on the weekly rest taking place in the driver’s cabin in France.
“We do not demand the abolition of the delegation directive”
Macron stresses that it is not in the interest of France to abolish the delegation directive – over 200,000 French citizens are employed on the basis of delegation. However, he declares support for the ongoing work on the directive in Brussels.
Financing the infrastructure
The presidential candidate has plans to invest up to 50 billion euros in the infrastructure. Such sum would contribute to, among others, improving communication – mostly the modernisation of railways and roads. He also announces that it will increase the competitiveness of French ports. To do so he suggests the following steps:
- making the road, rail and river access to ports easier
- streamlining the administrative and customs procedures in ports
- simplification of land management of port areas
Photo: Flickr
