The National Union of Road Transporters of Romania (UNTRR) has urged the Romanian government to firmly reject a proposal by the European Parliament (EP) that would change the social security rules for international truck drivers.
The EP’s amendment proposes that truck drivers pay social security contributions in the country where they predominantly work, instead of the current arrangement where contributions are made either in their country of residence or in the country where their employer is based, as defined by EU Regulation 883/2004.
Specifically, Amendment 74 proposes the following change to Article 13:
“1. A person who normally pursues an activity as an employed person in two or more Member States shall be subject to:
(a) the legislation of the Member State of residence if he/she pursues a substantial part of his/her activity in that Member State,
(b) the legislation of the Member State in which he/she performs the largest share of his/her work activities, if he/she does not reside in one of the Member States in which he/she pursues a substantial part of his/her activity as an employed person; or
(ba) the legislation of the Member State of residence if the share of activities is identical.”
In an official intervention addressed to Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu and EU Executive Vice-President for People, Skills and Training Roxana Mînzatu, UNTRR warned that the proposed changes would significantly increase administrative burdens and financial pressures on transport companies. According to UNTRR, this proposal could divert contributions away from Romania to other member states, potentially prompting Romanian transport companies to relocate their operations abroad.
“The European Parliament’s proposal fundamentally alters the existing balance, increases bureaucracy, and threatens the stability of social security systems. We strongly oppose this amendment as it negatively impacts Romanian businesses,” stated UNTRR Secretary-General Radu Dinescu.
UNTRR stressed that Romania’s road transport sector is a crucial economic pillar, being the country’s leading exporter of services, with exports valued at €7.81 billion in 2023. This figure surpasses even Romania’s IT services exports, which stood at €7.772 billion in the same year. The sector also maintained a positive trade balance (export-import) of €6.226 billion, outperforming the IT services sector’s balance of €5.9 billion.
The union emphasised that Romania holds a strong position within the European transport sector, ranking third in the EU for cross-trade international road freight transport and cabotage operations, behind only Poland and Lithuania.
UNTRR expressed further concerns regarding competitiveness, noting that countries such as Poland and Lithuania have attracted Romanian companies by offering more favourable financing conditions and simplified procedures for employing non-EU drivers. For comparison, Poland employs around 160,000 non-EU drivers, Lithuania about 106,000, whereas Romania employs only 1,500 non-EU drivers.
Negotiations gained renewed momentum within the EU Council on 30 January 2025 under the Polish Presidency, following prolonged discussions since the amendment’s initial proposal by the EP’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs in December 2018. Member states, industry stakeholders, and the European Parliament have repeatedly struggled to reach consensus due to the complexity and contentious nature of the proposal. The timeline for a final agreement remains uncertain.