TRUCK & BUSINESS 263

When the BTB-ABVV trade union announced that the Black Book on Social Dumping would be published, I was honestly quite curious. Unfair competition in road transport is rampant as a result of constructions that flirt with the legally permissible, to say the least. Any initiative that can provide a bit more transparency is therefore more than welcome. Even if it deals with reality in a creative way. I must also honestly admit that this Black Book has a certain entertainment value. The title of this publication could just as well have been 'Tintin in Slovakia'. I had expected a snappy and aggressive tone, but strangely enough that is not the case either. The book reads more like an account of the visits to the headquarters of various companies, some of which are really fictional in nature. Other working visits even seem to work on the funny bone... In the end, they rather quickly start 'beating around the bush'. The term 'social dumping' is used at every opportunity by the trade union. Two issues are constantly being mixed up here: on the one hand, the 'questionable' application of the European rules by some transporters, which mainly exposes the weaknesses of these rules, and on the other hand, running a foreign branch where there is absolutely no question of any (not even moral) infringement. The sector is put to the test in the 28-page document: consultants who promise the Eldorado to overly naïve transporters, but who are actually hiding behind fictitious constructions. We must also dare to admit that the combination of 'flagging out' consultant, transporter and vice-chairman of a Belgian professional organisation is a bit too much for one and the same person. The sector would do well to distance itself from such practices. As you can read on the following pages, the rules will change in any case. It remains to be seen to what extent and what balance will emerge. I am also quite astonished by the lack of clout of the Belgian transport sector in view of the undoubtedly animated debates in the European Parliament. The sector is still coming out in a staggered manner (although the three professional organisations are organising a joint New Year's reception in January), which confirms our suspicion that our sector will not be in a particularly strong position during the discussions in Parliament. So it will have to come from our neighbours.