The European Commission Vice-President for Jobs and Skills, Roxana Mînzatu, visited several truck parking areas in Belgium this week to witness first-hand the extreme disparity in conditions, ranging from a state-of-the-art facility to a site lacking even basic services.
The visit, initiated by IRU and organised in close cooperation with the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the European Secure Parking Organisation (ESPORG), comes at a decisive moment as EU institutions debate the next EU budget.
Together, the partners demonstrated that across the EU, safe and secure truck parking areas remain dramatically insufficient, despite being critical to drivers’ wellbeing, road safety, and resilient supply chains.
Vice-President Mînzatu’s engagement, in her capacity as Commissioner for Jobs and Skills, highlights the importance of safe working and resting conditions for Europe’s drivers. These conditions are equally vital for the safety and smooth functioning of logistics chains and trade, reinforcing the urgent need for coordinated EU and national action.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu said, “Safe and secure parking isn’t just a logistical issue – it’s about guaranteeing drivers' dignity, safety and respect. When we invest in better places for them to rest and work, we not only make the job more appealing and tackle labour shortages, but also strengthen road transport as the backbone of Europe’s economy.”
IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian said, “The contrast we saw in Belgium, from a gold-standard parking to a very poor one, mirrors what drivers face every day across the EU.”
“This is not a local problem. It’s a European crisis. We now hope that Vice-President Mînzatu, together with Commissioner Tzitzikostas, will take the lead in steering both EU and Member States to prioritise the planning and rollout of secure truck parking areas, especially along Europe’s most congested corridors,” she added.
The delegation also included the Governor of West Flanders, who joined at the Jabbeke site. With the Zeebrugge port and key EU corridors intersecting the region, safe and secure truck parking in Flanders is vital. IRU hopes Flemish authorities will continue to prioritise this critical infrastructure, reflecting the urgent needs seen across Europe.
The united presence of European Commission leadership, road transport operators, driver unions, and parking managers sends a clear signal: safe and secure parking must become a European investment priority in the next EU budget cycle as well as a priority for Member States.
“For the EU’s professional drivers, the lack of adequate parking facilities translates into unsafe working conditions, higher stress, and diminished dignity on the road,” said Raluca Marian. “This further undermines efforts to attract and retain people in a sector already facing a critical labour shortage.”
Background
The EU’s parking infrastructure gap is severe. According to a European Commission-sponsored study, only 4,943 of the EU’s estimated 380,000 truck parking spaces are currently certified as safe and secure. A shortfall of more than 390,000 spaces was recorded in 2022. This gap is projected to reach 483,000 by 2040. The situation is particularly acute in France, Germany, the Benelux countries, Spain, Italy and Central Europe.
Following consistent IRU, ESPORG and ETF advocacy, the European Commission has made available EUR 750 million under the Connecting Europe Facility in recent years, including for developing and upgrading safe and secure truck parking areas across the EU.
However, the challenge lies in delivering. In many cases, local authorities are reluctant to authorise new facilities or are too slow to issue permits, creating bottlenecks that prevent urgently needed projects from moving forward despite the availability of EU support.
