Activites

• 2000/12/30 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2000/2888
  • OJ L 336 30.12.2000, p. 0009
• 2000/12/18 Final act signed
• 2000/12/18 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2319
• 2000/12/14 Council Meeting
• 2000/12/14 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T5-0566/2000 summary

    The European Parliament approved without amendment the common position. The act was accordingly deemed adopted in accordance with the common position. The Swiss Federal Council decided on 1 November 2000 to allow heavy goods vehicles of up to 34 tonnes to travel on its raods from 1 January 2001. The total number of "full weight" permits to be allocated will be 300 000 for the years 2001-2004. The number of "empty permits" available annually for the years 2001-2004 will be 220 000. �

• 2000/12/12 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
• 2000/12/11 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• 2000/12/08 Council position published
  • 14463/2000 summary

    Since the Commission submitted its amended propoal in March 2000, the Council's discussions on the matter have been informed by a concern to abide fully by the outcome of the European Parliament's first reading, including the amendments tabled by the Parliament, which the Commission took on board in its amended proposal. However, in establishing its common position the Council has found itself obliged to take account of a number of factors and developments which have arisen in the intervening period. The initial Commission proposal was presented as an act implementing one of the agreements between the European Communities and the Swiss Federation, viz. the Agreement on the transport of goods by rail and road. However, owing to the fact that ratification procedures on one of the agreements in the package of seven signed with Switzerland are still under way in some Member States, these agreements, including the road traffic agreement on the transport of goods by rail and road, have not yet entered into force and are not likely to do so for some months yet. In the meantime the Swiss Federal Council decided, on 1 November 2000, to allow heavy goods vehicles of up to 34 tonnes to travel on its roads from 1 January 2001 and to open up quotas, from the same date, for vehicles between 34 and 40 tonnes and for vehicles that are empty or transporting light loads. The decision by the Swiss authorities accompanies the introdution of the RPLP (heavy traffic levy) on the Swiss network. Given this last development, the adoption of the Regulation has thus become very urgent, if Community hauliers are not to be deprived of the benefts of the Swiss decision. Nevertheless, given that the seven agreements form a package, the Council did not want the decisions to be regarded as advance implementation of the road traffic agreement. This concern is reflected in the structure of the text. The Council has therefore made a number of amendments, as compared with the outcome of the European Parliament's first reading, notably in order to uncouple the Regulation from the road traffic agreement. Furthermore, in drawing up the allocation scales, it took account of the latest statistics. In addition, it felt it would be useful to include a review clause on the basis of real flows after one year. The Council also took into account the deadline proposed by the Parliament for re-allocating unused permits. �

• #2292
• 2000/10/02 Council Meeting
  • 2292
• #2279
• 2000/06/26 Council Meeting
  • 2279 summary

    The Council took note of progress on the dossier concerning the proposal for a Regulation on the distribution of permits for heavy goods vehicles travelling in Switzerland. Stressing the importance of being able to make full use of the transit options which would be open in Switzerland, the Council instructed the Permanent Representatives Committee to continue working on the dossier so that it might reach agreement at its October meeting. Of the seven sectoral agreements between the Community and Switzerland in the process of being ratified, one concerns carriage of goods and passengers by rail and by road. It grants Community carriers, for a transition period, a quantity of permits allowing them to operate vehicles weighing over 28 tonnes within Swiss territory. In February 1999 the Commission submitted a proposal for a Regulation to introduce tables allocating those permits between Member States. Following the European Parliament's first-reading Opinion on the proposal, the Commission submitted an amended proposal accepting Parliament's amendments in March 2000. �

• 2000/02/29 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(2000)0117 summary

    The European Commission has accepted all amendments (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) and thus it modifies its proposal as follows : - amendment 1 makes a necessary linguistic correction to the German text; - amendment 2 clarifies the 8th recital by making it more explicit; - amendments 3 and 6 revise the comitology procedure and bring it into line with the latest rules for a Regulatory Committee; - amendment 4 establishes a new deadline by which permits are to be distributed; - amendment 5 establishes a new deadline by which unused permits are to be returned to the Commission.�

  • DG ['Energy and Transport'],
• 1999/12/15 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0156/1999 summary

    In adopting the report by Mr Pedro APARICIO SANCHEZ (PES, E) on heavy goods vehicles travelling in Switzerland, the European Parliament approves the proposal for the allocation of permits for European heavy goods vehicles on Swiss territory. However, it called for the permits to be granted according to certain criteria which take into consideration the existing freight transport flows and genuine transport needs in the Alpine region. From the Parliament's point of view, it also wishes to change the distribution dates of permits: these should be distributed before 15 August of the preceding year instead of 15 November. As for those permits which are not allocated, the Member States should allow them to reach the Commission before 15 September maximum, instead of 15 November, as foreseen in the proposal. Lastly, the European Parliament made important changes of a comitology nature to the Commission's proposal by calling for more information from the European Parliament on the work done by the committee assisting the Commission.�

• 1999/12/13 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 1999/11/24 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0075/1999
• 1999/07/23 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1999/01/27 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1999)0035 summary

    PURPOSE: establishment of a Community system for the allocation of transport authorisations for Member States' heavy goods vehicles circulating in Switzerland. CONTENT: a political agreement was reached between Switzerland and the Community regarding a system of rules concerning freight and passenger transport by rail and road. In particular, it is planned to grant Union transporters, for a transitional period, a quantity of authorisations ('heavy goods vehicle' authorisations) permitting trucks of over 28 tonnes to circulate on Swiss territory. These authorisations would enable Community transporters to make use of vehicles that respect EC weight limits until Switzerland aligns itself completely with the European standards in 2005 (see also procedure AVC990105 on the terms and conditions of the agreement between the EC and Switzerland on the liberalisation of land-based transport). As a result of this agreement, for the year 2000, a total of 250,000 'heavy goods vehicle' authorisations will be provided; this total will rise to 300,000 in 2002 and the 400,000 in 2004. From 2001 until 2004, the authorisations would be open to 34 tonne trucks (with an authorised maximum of 40 tonnes). Specific terms and conditions are provided for trucks circulating empty or with low loads (reduced charges). This proposal for a Regulation seeks to set at Community level the allocation of these 'heavy goods vehicle' authorisations among the Member States in order to comply with the political agreement reached with Switzerland. These authorisations will be allocated among the Member States according to their share in the main transport flows (bilateral traffic with and transit traffic through Switzerland), with a minimum number of 1,500 authorisations per country per year. It will be up to the Member States to allocate their share of authorisations among the transport companies on their territory. The proposal outlines the Community method of allocation of authorisations both for heavy goods vehicles and those travelling empty. It also makes provision for the gathering of statistics on heavy goods traffic flows in the Alpine Area on the basis of which the Commission will draw up a new allocation if the number of authorisations differs by more than 5% (and by at least 500 authorisations) in comparison to the number currently estimated. Lastly, it is envisaged to establish a specific committee the objective of which would be to modify, if necessary, the allocation of authorisations based on available Alpine statistics.�

  • DG ['Energy and Transport'],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1999)0035
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0075/1999
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0156/1999
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(2000)0117
• Debate in Council: 2279
• Debate in Council: 2292
• Council position published: 14463/2000
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0566/2000
• : Regulation 2000/2888
• : OJ L 336 30.12.2000, p. 0009

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)