EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Legislation, Lithuania, Transport

On Monday, carriers of Lithuania and another 10 European Union countries are staging protest actions against the French move. In Lithuania, the actions are scheduled to take place outside the European Commission's (EC) mission and the French Embassy in Vilnius.

"The new law requires a minimum wage envisaged by France for its drivers, and the other aspect is in connection to rather numerous administrative requirements – submission of documents, etc., companies are also required to have a representative in France. For now, the law is still being analyzed, so we are not yet able to have an accurate view of what it requires," Vytautas Kleinauskas, spokesman for the association, told BNS Lithuania on Monday.

He said employers should start paying their drivers transporting cargo to or from France more than 9 euros per hour starting July.

In his words, Lithuanian carriers operate at a profit rate of 2.6%, which is too small for Western companies. The spokesman said the decline in trade with Russia has forced Eastern European carriers to shift their focus to Western Europe, causing the Western countries to start protecting their markets.

Kleinauskas said that, even after the law takes effect, Lithuanian carriers will attempt working in France, which is an important market.

Last year, Germany adopted a law, which suggests that foreign carriers working in Germany should be paid at least the minimum wage of 8.5 euros per hour, a step that caused the European Commision to initiate a violation procedure against Germany.