ESPORG, together with the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), has submitted a joint letter to the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, highlighting the critical shortage of secure truck parking facilities across the European Union.

The letter is based on the EU study coordinated by ESPORG, which found that the EU currently lacks 390,000 secure truck parking spaces. Without further action, this shortfall is expected to increase to 483,000 spaces by 2040.

ESPORG’s Vision – “A Home Away From Home”

ESPORG Secretary General Dirk Penasse described the organisation’s vision:

“Truck parkings should be created as a home away from home. Lorry drivers and their vehicles should not cause any nuisance to the local community. The fears of the local community should be addressed, and it should be made clear that the expected nuisance will not occur. In this way, we can create a win-win situation for both the local communities and the lorry drivers.”

What ESPORG and Its Social Partners Are Calling For

ESPORG, IRU and ETF urge the European Commission and Member States to:

• Treat the planning, permitting and development of Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs) as a matter of public interest.
• Establish public-private partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the expansion of secure parking infrastructure.
• Remove local planning and permitting barriers that delay new projects.
• Adapt urban planning policies to enable the development of modern, secure truck parking facilities.
• Ensure continued EU co-funding, particularly through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

ESPORG also proposes the creation of a European Commission task force, led by Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, with representatives from ESPORG, IRU, ETF, and experts from DG EMPL and DG MOVE.

The initiative forms part of ESPORG’s Wellbeing Campaign, launched in March 2025 with the support of the European Commission and leading industry stakeholders.

Read the full article: https://esporg.eu/2025/09/22/esporg-and-social-partners-call-the-ec-for-more-secure-truck-parkings-in-the-eu-working-together-on-drivers-wellbeing/