Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 December 2004
186 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Transport when the new EU regulation to replace the existing drivers hours’ rules, as set out in Regulation 3820/85, will be finally adopted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31785/04]
View answerAt the Transport Council in Brussels on 11 June last, the Council reached political agreement on its common position on the Commission proposal to replace the existing drivers' hours rules.
Following that political agreement, the text is subject to final settling by legal and language experts in all the languages of the Community before the common position is formally adopted. That is scheduled to take place at the Transport Council later this month. The next stage in the process is that the European Parliament will consider the common position in its second reading of the proposal. There is a time limit of three months on the second reading, after which a further three months is provided for the Council to consider the Parliament's second reading.
If the Council is unable to accept the Parliament's second reading, the conciliation procedure is invoked with a view to finding a compromise. The whole procedure leading to final adoption — assuming, of course, that an agreement can be reached between the Council and Parliament — is likely to take between nine and 12 months.
