On 15 September 2026, the European Commission adopted the Fair Labour Mobility package, comprising a policy communication and five legislative proposals designed to make it easier for workers and businesses to move and operate within the single market. For transport, the initiative does not, as it is sometimes presented, introduce a specific procedure to make it easier to recruit more drivers. Instead, it is a horizontal package covering social security, qualifications and labour inspections, from which road haulage could benefit particularly in cross-border operations and the recruitment of workers from outside the EU.
The five proposals include the Regulation establishing the European Social Security Pass (Esspass), the Skills Portability Act on comparable digital credentials, a revision of the rules on the recognition of professional qualifications, a directive on recognising the qualifications of third-country nationals and a Regulation to strengthen the European Labour Authority (ELA). The Commission says the measures will not introduce immediate obligations and will have to be negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. The first implementation deadlines will begin only after the legislation has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The timetable announced by Brussels is spread over several years. The A1 social security document, which certifies the legislation applicable to a posted worker, will be digitalised one year after the Esspass Regulation enters into force, while the European Health Insurance Card and other documents will follow within three years. Simplified recognition of non-EU qualifications is expected within two years of adoption, while digital credentials and faster procedures for regulated professions are due within three years. The first operational improvements for the strengthened European Labour Authority are expected between 2028 and 2030.
The Commission estimates that the package as a whole could generate benefits of up to €5 billion by 2040, including €1 billion from administrative simplification alone. For regulated professions, such as doctors, nurses, engineers and teachers, the recognition procedure is expected to fall from three months to five weeks. For qualifications obtained outside the EU, the average processing time is expected to fall from 14 months to four, while administrative recruitment costs would be halved.
In international transport, the most immediate benefit concerns the administrative management of posted workers. The A1 document will certify the country in which social security contributions are paid for a driver engaged in cross-border operations, while the Commission is proposing common information requirements and the possibility of reusing data already available on EU posting portals, including information relating to road drivers. However, the sector’s main rules will remain unchanged: posting requirements, applicable pay, cabotage, driving and rest times, tachograph records and declarations through IMI, the Internal Market Information System. The benefit therefore lies in simpler checks rather than any easing of regulatory requirements.
As regards qualifications, HGV drivers do not automatically fall within the category of regulated professions for which the Commission is proposing a mandatory digital procedure. The benefit for the sector is indirect and consists of credentials that are easier to verify, greater comparability between qualifications, common standards for assessing credentials obtained outside the EU and lower administrative costs for companies seeking to recruit drivers who have already been trained in a third country. The European Labour Authority will receive stronger tools to support coordinated inspections, risk assessment and the management of cross-border disputes. For a sector such as road haulage, characterised by high mobility and differing enforcement practices between Member States, this could promote greater consistency, but could also lead to more intensive controls.
The labour mobility reform should not be confused with the revision of driving licence rules, approved under EU Directive 2025/2205 and in force since 25 November 2025. At present, an EU driving licence issued following the conversion of a licence from a third country carries code 70 and does not have to be automatically recognised by other Member States if the holder changes country of residence. The new Directive will introduce EU-wide recognition of licences converted from third countries whose road-safety framework is comparable with that of the EU, following case-by-case assessments by the Commission and Member States. However, the rules will apply only from 26 November 2029, ruling out any immediate liberalisation of non-EU driving licences.
In road haulage, demographic pressures make the driving licence issue more urgent. Based on its 2025 survey, IRU estimates that around 502,000 driver positions are unfilled in Europe, equivalent to 13% of the sector’s workforce. Some 65% of European road hauliers identify the driver shortage as their main concern, to the point that they are turning down new contracts because they cannot find staff. IRU has welcomed the package, particularly Esspass and the simplified recognition of non-EU qualifications, and is calling for the reform to deliver practical tools for recognising professional drivers from third countries, together with legal certainty and advance guidance on the pay applicable to posted drivers.
Antonio Illariuzzi
