Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, answering a parliamentary question from MEP Zala Tomašič (PPE), stated that the conflict between mandatory weekly rest outside the vehicle and cargo insurance coverage is a purely commercial matter outside EU social regulation. He stressed that Regulation (EC) 561/2006 does not oblige insurers to cover unattended cargo, and transport companies can mitigate risks by using safe and secure parking areas, returning vehicles to operational centres, or hiring private garages.
The question, submitted on 4 February 2026 and supported by eight MEPs from ECR, PPE, PfE, and S&D groups, highlighted that many insurance policies refuse cargo coverage when the driver is absent during the mandatory 45-hour weekly rest. The MEPs asked how the Commission reconciles the social regulation with insurance practices that could penalise transport firms.
Tzitzikostas’s answer contains no new legislative proposals. It reiterates existing EU standards for safe parking (Delegated Regulation 2022/1012) and notes that parking availability remains insufficient and uneven across the Union, as reported in a November 2025 Commission report. He pointed to EU co-funding of about 152 parking areas with over EUR 322 million under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), and a proposal to continue such support in the 2028–2034 CEF programme, adopted in July 2025.
The Commission treats the insurance gap as a market issue, not a regulatory conflict. It encourages voluntary adoption of secure parking rather than amending social rules or intervening in insurance contracts. This approach favours business flexibility and national responsibility for parking infrastructure over EU-level harmonisation of insurance terms.
No immediate legislative action is signalled. The Commission will continue co-funding secure parking under the next MFF. Transport companies and insurers are left to negotiate coverage terms privately, while drivers’ rest compliance remains unchanged.