More data, more power: ELA’s expanding role in haulier checks under new EU package

The European Commission presented its Fair Labour Mobility Package on 15 September 2026. It consists of a communication and five legislative proposals covering areas such as the European Social Security Pass, the portability of skills, a stronger European Labour Authority and rules for recognising professional qualifications, including qualifications obtained outside the EU.

For road transport, the proposed changes to ELA’s mandate may be among the most significant elements of the package. They would not alter the rules governing transport operations, but would expand the tools available to check compliance with requirements related to labour mobility and the posting of drivers.

ELA would gain access to more data

A central element of the proposal is to expand ELA’s analytical capabilities. The Authority’s remit would explicitly include the rules governing posted drivers in road transport. It would also gain access to selected functions of the European Register of Road Transport Undertakings (ERRU), enabling it to support the coordination of inspections and prepare risk assessments.

ELA would also be able to make broader use of information available through the Internal Market Information System (IMI) and the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information system (EESSI).

The Commission expects access to a wider range of data sources to help ELA produce risk assessments that enable national authorities to target inspections more effectively.

This could be especially relevant to road transport, where a single cross-border operation may involve several systems and documents. Information about a company, a driver’s posting status, employment arrangements or social security coverage may be held by different authorities and databases.

ELA could propose inspections on its own initiative

The proposal would also give ELA a more active role in coordinating cooperation between inspection authorities in different Member States. The European Labour Authority could independently propose a coordinated or joint inspection.

That would not create a European inspection force able to monitor transport companies without the involvement of national authorities. Any action would still involve the competent administrations of the Member States concerned.

The main change would be to strengthen ELA’s role in initiating cooperation, coordinating cross-border action and using risk assessments to support national inspections.

Data consistency could become more important

As risk assessments draw on more information, the accuracy and consistency of data submitted by companies to different administrative systems could also become more important. Posting declarations, company details, working-time arrangements, pay information and social security data may be processed in separate systems and reviewed by several authorities.

As a result, compliance may depend not only on carrying out a transport operation correctly, but also on keeping information across different databases accurate, up to date and consistent. The European Commission says that giving ELA broader access to data should support better risk assessments and enable national administrations to target inspections more precisely.

For transport companies, this means the quality of information stored in administrative systems could play a growing role in compliance assessments and the planning of inspections.

Easier recognition of qualifications from outside the EU

ELA’s expanded mandate is only one element of the package. The Commission is also proposing changes intended to make it easier for employers to hire people whose qualifications were obtained outside the European Union. The new framework would introduce common criteria for recognising those qualifications and increase the use of digital procedures.

According to the Commission, recognition procedures for qualifications obtained outside the EU currently take an average of 14 months. The proposed changes should reduce that period to four months.

This could matter to transport companies recruiting workers from countries outside the EU. It would not, however, mean that every professional qualification held by a driver would be recognised automatically. The proposals address qualifications obtained outside the EU in broader terms, while access to the driving profession and the required documentation would remain subject to specific sector rules.

Qualifications would move into a digital wallet

Another part of the package is the Skills Portability Act. The Commission wants to establish a system of digital qualification credentials available through the European Digital Identity Wallet. The aim is to make it easier for workers to present their qualifications in other countries and for employers and public authorities to verify their authenticity and compare qualifications across borders.

In transport and logistics, the tool could be relevant when recruiting drivers, transport planners, mechanics and technical staff, provided the relevant qualification is included in the applicable national frameworks.

A digital credential would not, on its own, confirm that a qualification is equivalent or give the holder the right to work in a regulated profession.

Transport will still be governed by sector-specific rules

The proposed changes to the recognition of professional qualifications would have a limited direct impact on drivers working in road transport.

For drivers, the key requirements concerning access to the profession, qualifications and documentation mainly derive from specific sector legislation. The new package could nevertheless affect the recruitment of other transport and logistics workers and the way qualifications are verified in cross-border employment.

The proposals are not law yet

The package presented by the European Commission on 15 September 2026 is not yet binding legislation. Each proposal must go through the EU legislative process, involving the European Parliament and the Council.

The Commission expects the measures to be introduced gradually once approved. For the revised mandate of the European Labour Authority, improvements to the system are expected to be implemented during the 2028–2030 period.

If the proposals are adopted, ELA would have a larger role in analysing data, coordinating cooperation between national authorities and preparing cross-border inspections. For road transport, the most important change may not be the creation of new operational obligations, but how information already collected in European systems is used.