The Impact of the Eu Mobility Package on Smes in the Polish Road Transport Sector: An Empirical Analysis

In the European Union (EU), the issues of the development of transport infrastructure, forwarding, and logistics services, as well as regulations regarding the rules of functioning on the market, are included in the common transport and logistics policy. Despite many actions taken, transport policy so far has not been rigorous enough to meet the targets needed to combat climate change and the sustainable development goals set. One such measure in the transport sector is the 'Mobility Package', which aims to regulate international road transport services provided in the EU market by EU-based carriers. This includes, among other things, improving working conditions for professional drivers and reducing the risk of unfair competition. The paper addresses the following research questions: what are the main assumptions of EU transport policy, what are the characteristics of road transport enterprises in Poland, and how do SMEs in Poland evaluate the changes resulting from the Mobility Package. To achieve our goals, we first rely on open-access data from various sources, and then we use the snowball sampling survey. We indicate the main assumptions of the EU transport policy, e.g., intensification of regulation of the common transport market at the level of EU authorities and integration of transport organizations with sustainable development rules, and then identify the main characteristics of Polish road transport enterprises. Our research results also show that the impact of the mobility package on the operations of Polish road transport companies depends significantly on the size of the company. The assessment of the impact of the mobility package may depend on whether or not enterprises have a development strategy. The consequences of implementing the package are not mentioned as the main challenge for businesses.