road_transport_policy_en.pdf

Open roads across Europe

ROAD TRANSPORTPOLICY

EUROPEANCOMMISSION

Directorate-General for Energy and Transport

Foreword

ContextRoad transport a vital component

Reviewing needs

A level playing-field

Open markets, open highwaysResponsible operators sought

Driver attestation

For safety's sakeNew rules for driving licences

Improving training standards

Making trucks safer

Transporting dangerous goods

Time to belt-up

Fair charging across the EUVehicle tax and fuel duties

Taking their toll: Infrastructure charges

International connectionsEasing the Alpine crossing

From Russia with goods

Interbus making passenger travel easier

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The European Commissions Directorate-General for Energy and Transport develops and carries out EUpolicy in these closely linked areas. The mid-term review of the 2001 White Paper, Keep Europe moving Sustainable mobility for our continent sets out a work programme designed to bring about significantfurther improvements in the quality and efficiency of transport in Europe by 2010. Improving theconditions in which road transport services can be operated throughout Europe is an essential conditionfor the smooth functioning of Europes economy, and a vital contribution to improving the health andquality of life of all Europeans.

Published by: European Commission, Energy and Transport DG, B-1049 Brusselshttp://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/index_en.html

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2006. European Communities, 2006

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.Manuscript completed on 15 November 2006.

Photos courtesy of: DaimlerChrysler AG, European Community 2006, Hugh Jenkins, MAN Group, RenaultTrucks, Scania CV AB, Seimans, Volvo

ISBN 92-79-03148-1

Printed in Belgium

hroughout history, the transport of passen-gers and freight has been an integral part ofour daily lives, a motor of economic develop-

ment and an important component of our ownwell-being. Not surprisingly, transport policy wasenshrined as one of the first Community policies in the1957 Treaty of Rome the founding Act of todaysEuropean Union. Since completion of the internal mar-ket in 1992, road transport in Europe has substantiallychanged: rigid national concession regimes have beenabolished, the intra-EU transport market has beenopened up to free competition and even temporaryservices by hauliers in countries other than their ownhave become possible.

Existing regulations in the road transport sector, as withEuropean legislation in general, aim to provide a single,harmonised regulatory framework instead of 25 differ-ent and potentially conflicting ones. Road freight andpassenger markets are opened up: any company any-where in the EU that meets EU professional require-ments may set up business in any Member State.Similarly, a single Community licence has been createdand accompanying documents have been harmonisedto ensure that borders or national administrative prac-tices do not act as barriers to the growing prosperitygenerated by the road transport sector. This is a classictale of how creating a single European market hasspurred competition and created one of the mostdynamic and efficient sectors of the economy.

This brochure provides details of the EU regulatoryframework for the road transport sector. Each sectionoutlines not only what has happened, but also the wayahead. Despite the gains to the sector thanks toEuropean integration, more remains to be done toensure we have a legal framework that is clear, easilyenforceable and without unnecessary administrativeburdens, so that road transport can continue to be anengine of economic growth in Europe.

Jacques Barrot

Vice-President of the European Commission,responsible for Transport

FOREWORD

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ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

ROAD TRANSPORT A VITAL COMPONENT

oad transport has a central role to play inthe continued health and growth ofEuropes economy. Europeans expect

goods to be delivered door-to-door to all cor-ners of the continent, quickly and on time. Often roadtransport is the only answer to the demand for suchhigh levels of mobility and flexibility a situation thatwill remain despite increasing investment in othermodes. The transport of goods between MemberStates is set to increase by 50 % between 2000 and2020. Road transport which already conveys 73 % ofgoods on land will undoubtedly take the lions shareof that expansion.

The road transport sector itself already contributeshugely to the European economy: it provides about4.5 million jobs and generates a turnover worth about1.6 % of EU gross domestic product. And without anefficient, vibrant road transport system, other modescannot function properly as most freight and passen-ger journeys begin and end with a trip on the road.Road transport therefore also plays a vital role in thedevelopment of Europes integrated transport net-works and intermodal transport solutions.

The European Union is committed to providing thebest conditions for an open market for professionalroad transport services by which we mean journeysby lorries and coaches to ensure mobility of goodsand people, and to enable job creation and economicgrowth. The challenge is to make all of this possiblewhile helping the sector to become more efficient,safer and cost-effective.

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Modal split of freight transport in the EU-25(2005 figures, based on tonne-kilometres performed)

Modal split of passenger transport in the EU-25(2004 figures, based on passenger-kilometres performed)

Air0.1%

Sea39.3%

Road44.4%

Rail9.7%

Inlandwaterways

3.3%

Pipelines3.2%

Source: Eurostat, ECMT and national figures

Sea0.8%Air

8.0%Tram and metro

1.2%Railway

5.8%

Bus and coach8.2%

Motorcycles2.4%

Passenger cars73.6%

Source: Eurostat, ECMT, UIC, European Commission and national figures

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Reviewing needsThe mid-term review of the European Commissions2001 Transport White Paper Keep Europe moving -Sustainable mobility for our continent(1), sets out waysto provide Europeans with effective transport sys-tems that ensure the free movement of people andgoods as a means of guaranteeing social and eco-nomic cohesion. This will require further develop-ment of the internal market for road transport serv-ices. The Commission is therefore developing strate-gies on market access that are simple, clear and easyto enforce. The EU is also committed to reducing con-gestion on roads over the coming years, particularlyon trans-European networks again the aim is toimprove the flow of goods and people.

The review also underlines the need to protect trans-port users and improve their safety and security, aswell as the working conditions of all Europes profes-sional drivers. The Commission is also keen to pro-mote innovation to ensure the sustainable competi-tiveness of all transport modes this will includeusing technology to improve logistical efficiencyrelating to Europes huge fleet of trucks and lorries.Figures show that even in the flexible world of roadhaulage, 25 % of journeys are still running empty.

A level playing-fieldThe Unions internal market for road transport has likeother aspects of European life undergone a massivechange in the past few years. Member States are bene-fiting greatly from the worlds largest free market, androad transport is helping to promote the economiccohesion of the EU. The EU is committed to high com-mon standards in social rules for road haulage, whichinclude revised regulations for driver working time,driving hours and rest periods and increased checks onlorries (for specific details see pp. 68). This new legis-lation, adopted in 2006, should prevent unfair compe-tition in the road transport industry, and reinforcesafety standards throughout Europe.

32(1) Keep Europe moving Sustainable mobility for our continent,

COM(2006) 314, adopted 22 June 2006.

ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

Growth in road freight transport in the EU-25 (billion tonne-kilometres)

Source: Eurostat, ECMT and national figures

he Commission is committed to nurturing anopen market in road transport, as a means ofbolstering the EUs internal market for all

goods and services. And as the EU focuses evermore strongly on the economy and job creation aslaid down in the Lisbon strategy it is ever more vitalthat road transport oils the wheels of growth.

Of course, ensuring that the market functions effi-ciently in a non-discriminatory way requires hugeeffort on behalf of the Union and Member States, interms of harmonising rules and regulations on a rangeof issues that relate to road transport, in particularensuring that road transport operators receive fair andequitable access to the worlds largest single market.

Responsible operatorssoughtThe EU liberalised the transport market for bothgoods and passenger carriage in 1998. In reality, thatmeans freight or passenger transport operatorsbased in the Union can supply international transportservices between any Member State provided thatthey are a recognised operator and hold aCommunity licence.

To be recognised as a bona fide operator, three key cri-teria must be met:

Good repute professional operators are expectedto comply with rules and regulations, those who donot must be weeded out.

Sound financial standing hauliers and passengertransport operators must be able to guarantee theviability of their businesses.

0

50 000

100 000

150 000

200 000

250 000

300 000

350 000

BE

CZ

DK

DE E E E L E S F R I E I T C

Y L V L T L U HU

MT

NL

A T PL

P T SI

S K FI

S E UK

OPEN MARKETS, OPEN HIGHWAYS

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Employment in freight and passenger transport on roads in the EU-25 (2004 or latest figures)

Source: Eurostat

Road freight transport sector

Road passenger transport sector

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mb

ero

fjo

bs

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Professional competence to ensure that cus-tomers receive safe, reliable transport services,operators have to show a level of competence inthe way they run their businesses and check theirvehicles. In practice, this has led to the harmonisingof professional competence certification through-out the EU. Now operators must hold a Communitycertificate of professional competence.

The next step for EU transport operators is to obtain aCommunity licence from their home Member State.The licence allows them to carry out internationaltransport operations throughout the Union, and mustbe renewed every five years. Operators must carry acertified copy of this document in each of their vehi-cles. It shows that they comply with the national traf-fic requirements of their country in accordance withthe relevant EU regulations.

These good operator requirements exist to preventunscrupulous companies gaining custom by takingshort-cuts on safety. And by helping to harmonisefinancial standards and levels of competence, theyalso improve the professional status of the road trans-port industry.

Driver attestationEvery driver from a non-EU country who drives an EUoperators vehicle while carrying out cross-borderhaulage activities within the Union must carry thecorrect driver attestation. This certifies that the driveris legally employed by the operator who owns thevehicle, and that she/he meets all the professionalconditions required by that operators Member State.

Cabotage a free market essential

Essentially, cabotage means the transportation ofgoods within one country by a haulier fromanother country. In the EU, cabotage is allowed ona temporary basis. This means, for example, that aFrench transport company discharging a cargofrom Paris in Seville can instead of driving emptyto Barcelona to pick up a load to be carried back toFrance transport goods between Seville andBarcelona. At the moment, cabotage makes upabout 1.2 % of the road transport market, but opti-mising the use of capacity is important for reduc-ing environmental damage.

The new Member States will, after a transitionalperiod, enjoy the right to carry out cabotage serv-ices. There were worries in the sector about thepossible adverse effects of running cabotage serv-ices. These centred on potentially unfair competi-tion from lower-wage countries which couldundercut operators who have to bear the greatercosts of working in a more tightly regulated envi-ronment. However, cabotage does not appear tohave undermined national markets or operators ofgood repute. What is more, the recent legislationrelating to driver times, rest periods and checkswill help bring the application of social conditionsinto line in all Member States, and will furtherreduce the chances of transport companies beingunfairly undercut.

ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

n 2005, nearly 41 000 people lost their livesin road accidents across the EU, and manythousands more were injured. Making

Europes highways as safe as possible istherefore a key Union priority.

New legislation, agreed in 2006 by the EuropeanParliament and Council, will improve driving condi-tions for hard-pressed lorry and bus drivers, andincrease the number of checks on European trucksand coaches.

In relation to driver working conditions, the keypoints of the new package include:

an obligatory minimum daily rest of nine hours fordrivers, up from the previous eight hours, andobligatory breaks during driving time;

a rest period of at least 45 consecutive hours everytwo weeks;

measures to prevent professional drivers fromdriving more than 56 hours a week.

Crucially, in terms of liability, the drivers employersare now responsible for obeying the new rules. Thislegislation complements the EUs special workingtime directive for professional drivers.

Member States are required by EU law to enforcesocial legislation and safety requirements related toroad transport. This includes carrying out regularchecks, both at the roadside and at company prem-ises. The new legislation will triple the number ofchecks and improve the way information on viola-tions is exchanged between Member States.

FOR SAFETYS SAKE

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Security and openness finding the balance

Terrorist attacks in Madrid and London have shownhow vulnerable public transport infrastructure is toattack. And the Commission is also looking at waysto tighten the security of intermodal and goodstransport. This could include developing a singlesecurity certification system for the logistics chainacross Europe.

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New rules for driving licencesThe EU agreed new rules for driving licences in March2006, which will impact on professional drivers as wellas regular motorists. The changes will harmoniselicence validity periods for all drivers and medicalrules for professional drivers, and reduce fraud byensuring all drivers have a licence based on a singlemodel. This will replace the 110 different types oflicence currently valid across the different MemberStates. Mandatory, regular renewal periods will beintroduced truck and bus drivers will now have torenew their licences every five years. Furthermore,professional drivers will have to undergo medicalchecks each time their licences are renewed.

The changes will also strengthen rules concerningprogressive driver access to more and more powerfullorries. New categories relating to the technical make-up of smaller trucks and buses are being introduced.Also, licences for buses will be amended to refer tothe number of passengers a driver can carry, ratherthan to the number of seats in their vehicle.

Improving training standardsIn 2003, the EU adopted a new directive to improveprofessional driver training standards. Previouslythere was no obligation for most drivers to undergovocational training essentially experience gainedon the job could see a driver move on to larger andlarger vehicles.

The Commission recognised this was an inadequateway to ensure that drivers had the requisite up-to-date skills and knowledge. The 2003 legislation offersdrivers the choice of carrying out a compulsory mini-mum level of training, or a more extensive full basictraining package.

Drivers can expect to learn about safety rules, compli-ance with legislation, and related issues such ashealth and safety, servicing and logistics. Full basictraining lasts 280 hours, carried out over eight weeksof 35 hours each; while compulsory minimum train-ing is 140 hours. Drivers must also undertake a briefrefresher course at five-year intervals.

Secure parking areas

Lorry drivers need to stop when making inter-national trips to comply with EU rules on drivingtimes and rest periods. However, throughoutEurope there are complaints about a lack of secureparking facilities which means that drivers, vehiclesand cargo are vulnerable to thieves and worse.In February 2006, the Commission launched a studyto explore the feasibility of secure parking areas.Its review assessed current levels of security andfound out what is needed to make parking areassafer for drivers.The Commission also provided sup-port to the construction of model parking areas.

ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

Making trucks saferAny heavy goods vehicle driver will tell you that largelorries have a blind spot when they turn right (or left ifthe vehicle is right-hand drive). The Commission esti-mates the problem causes about 500 fatalities a yearon Europes roads, and is a particular risk to cyclists.

In 2003, the EU agreed a directive that requires rear-view mirrors to be upgraded to reduce this blind spot.Accordingly, new lorries weighing more than3.5 tonnes have to be equipped with blind-spot mir-rors from 2007. The debate on the practicalities ofretrofitting these mirrors to Europes existing five mil-lion heavy goods vehicles has shown that there is astrong case in favour, and the Commission has there-fore come forward with a new proposal to that effect.

Transporting dangerous goodsMoving dangerous goods, such as chemicals andpetrol, is governed by EU law which applies the ruleslaid down in the ADR convention to all transport inthe EU. EU law provides rules on the transport of dan-gerous goods, including the movement of trans-portable pressure equipment; and uniform proce-dures for checking the transport of dangerous goods.Laws also cover the appointment and training ofsafety advisers, and ensure that vehicles meet certaintechnical requirements to transport dangerousgoods in as safe a way as possible.

The move to digitaltachographs

Every lorry, bus and coach on EU roads must be fit-ted with a tachograph to record information ontheir journeys. Tachographs used to be analogue,and data concerning driving times, rest periods,loading times and mechanical work was printedout on paper disks. However, recent technologicaladvances have seen the introduction of digitaltachographs, which are capable of recording moredata including speed, distance covered and driveridentification with much greater accuracy. Theyare also much more secure against tampering thantheir analogue predecessors.

The EU has reacted to this technological advanceby making digital tachographs compulsory in newheavy goods vehicles and buses from 1 May 2006.Interoperability certification will ensure that tacho-graph equipment will always work with productsmade by different manufacturers.

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Time to belt-upSince 9 May 2006, it has been compulsory throughoutthe EU for coach and bus passengers aged three andover to wear seat belts where they are fitted. Theoperator must tell their passengers about these newrequirements, and seat belts must be worn wheneverpeople are seated and the vehicle is moving. This EUlaw complements earlier legislation that requirescoaches, larger mini-buses and non-urban buses to befitted with seat belts. All such vehicles registered after1 October 2001 must have restraints fitted.

ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

The Road Safety Charter

Europes transport associations and companies aresigning up to the European road safety charter. Theaim is to encourage stakeholders to take whateversteps are necessary to help improve road safety inEurope in particular to achieve the goal of halvingthe number of traffic fatalities by 2010. The Charteralso acts as a platform for the exchange of ideasand best practice.

For more information see:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/roadsafety/charter/index_en.htm

he EU is committed to developing a compre-hensive approach to road transport taxesand charges. This is still a challenge because

rates for use of infrastructure, annual road taxand fuel duties vary across the Union. Differences inthese costs distort competition in Europes roadhaulage sector, which runs counter to the Unions aimof creating an open market that is fair and transparent.

Vehicle tax and fuel dutiesThe EU has developed common rules on annual taxesfor heavy goods vehicles over 12 tonnes. They pro-vide for a minimum rate for this type of tax, whichgoes some way to reducing the differences that existbetween Member States.

In the European Union, all fuels are subjected to aminimum rate of excise duty. In terms of diesel by farthe most widely used fuel in the road haulage sector that works out at a minimum rate of EUR 302 per1 000 litres of fuel.

The aim is to reduce the differences that exist inMember States excise duty charges, though rates dostill differ greatly across the Union.

Taking their toll:Infrastructure chargesAnother cost factor facing commercial road transportoperators is the cost of using infrastructure such asmotorways and bridges, levied in the form of tolls anduser charges. The Eurovignette directive, adopted in1999 and subsequently modified in 2006, establishescommon rules relating to distance-based tolls andtime-based user charges for goods vehicles over 3.5tonnes. The aim of the legislation is to improve theway the internal market operates by reducing differ-ences in tolls and charges across the EU.

Key points of the directive include the following:

Tolls should only correspond to distance travelledand type of vehicle; and user charges should relateto the time spent using the infrastructure.

Tolls and user charges may vary according to con-gestion and vehicle emission class.

Tolls and charges can be levied for the use of roadsthat are part of the trans-European network (TEN)or under certain circumstances parallel roads.

As a general rule, distance-based tolls and time-related charges shall not be applied on the samestretch of road.

National tolls and charges should be non-discrimi-natory, and should be easy for the motorist tounderstand, so as to avoid unnecessary hold-upsand problems at toll booths. Mandatory checks atthe EUs internal borders should also be avoided.

FAIR CHARGING ACROSS THE EU

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An electronic toll system no more fumbling for change

One major irritation for all drivers is having toqueue at toll booths to pay charges. The problem ismade worse on international routes as drivers ofdifferent nationalities figure out what they have topay, sometimes in a currency they do not knowwell. Such conditions hold up journeys and causecongestion on busy routes, especially at peaktimes. To solve this problem, the EU has introducedlegislation that paves the way for a fully interoper-able electronic toll payment system. By harnessingrecent advances in satellite tracking technology,mobile positioning and electronic payment sys-tems, it is now possible to equip vehicles with sys-tems that record journeys through toll booths. Thedriver therefore does not have to stop and canreceive a single bill at the end of their journey.

The EU has laid down rules for the introduction ofelectronic toll systems that must use interoperabletechnologies from 1 January 2007. In time, this willbuild into a network of interoperable toll booths,which, when paired with the on-board recordingunits, will make it much easier to travel via Europesfee-charging motorways, bridges and tunnels.

oad transport between the EU and non-EUcountries (third countries) is still largelybased on bilateral arrangements between

EU Member States and the third countries.Nevertheless, the EU has reached agreements with anumber of non-Member States on road transportissues that take precedence over those bilateralarrangements. For example, the agreement on theEuropean Economic Area (EEA) provides that Iceland,Norway and Liechtenstein apply the Unions roadtransport rules in the same fashion as the MemberStates. Similarly, on the basis of the agreementbetween the EU and Switzerland on transport ofgoods and passengers by road and rail, Switzerlandapplies equivalent rules as the EU and the EEA coun-tries in the field of land transport.

Easing the Alpine crossingSome of the EUs most important international roadtransport flows go over the Alps, not only through EUmembers France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Sloveniabut also through Switzerland. The limited numbers oftransit routes through the Alps (roads, tunnels andmountain passes) carry large amounts of freight traffic

in both directions, as the map below highlights. Thisputs a strain on both the infrastructure and the fragileAlpine ecosystem.

All the countries which make up the Alpine region,together with the European Community, are party tothe Alpine Convention, which aims to safeguard theAlpine ecosystem and promote sustainable develop-ment within the region. In particular, the transport pro-tocol to the Convention encourages the parties toinvest in new, more environmentally friendly transportinfrastructure, notably new tunnels. In this way,transalpine freight traffic can be transferred to rail andeven short-sea shipping, reducing the environmentalburden on the fragile, high-altitude ecosystem.

Furthermore, the EU has introduced and is furtherdeveloping a harmonised charging system for roadfreight journeys, following the polluter pays principle,whereby journeys are charged according to the envi-ronmental damage they cause. Under the EU/Switzerland land transport agreement, similar rules areapplied for truck journeys across the whole Alpinerange. This ensures that traffic is spread more evenlyover all the crossings on the mountain range, reducingcongestion and mitigating environmental damage.

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INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS

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ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

Bern

Milano

Torino

Trieste

Zrich

Gotthard

(925)

Mont-Blanc (326)

Gr. St-Bernard

(63)

San

Bern

ardi

no(1

50)

Simplon

(65)

Ventim

iglia(118

4)

Montgenvre (36)

Brenner (1988)

Mnchen

Innsbruck

Ljubjana Lyon Zagreb

Mt-Cenis/Frjus (1073)

0 1000 20001500500

Wien

W e c h s e l ( 9 5 6 )

T a ue r n

( 9 9 3 )

S c h o b e r p a s s ( 1 2 3 5 )

S e m m e r i n g ( 5 9 0 )

Number of trucks on main Alpine crossing points in 2005

pass / tunnel

Number of trucks in 2005 (x1 000)

From Russia with goodsThe EUs borders have spread east in recent yearsthanks to the enlargement process, and trade withRussia has grown greatly since the fall of the SovietUnion. It should also be noted that 50 % of EU exportsto Russia now travel by road, and trade by land trans-port, both road and rail, between the parties is set togrow by 11 % a year.

The EU and Russia established a transport dialogue inOctober 2005, with the aim of discussing improve-ments of transport and infrastructure links and topromote a better understanding of current and futurepolicies.

Interbus making passenger travel easierThe Interbus agreement between the EU and a num-ber of its eastern and south-eastern European neigh-bours has helped to liberalise access to the market forcertain services supplied by bus and coach operators.It originally came into force in 2001, so many of theoriginal signatories are now EU Member States. TheEUs current co-signatories are Albania, Bosnia andHerzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia, Moldova and Turkey. Interbus encom-passes a number of social, financial and technicalmeasures that have helped to harmonise and simplifyrules under which coach and bus operators work.

Main legal references

Basic principles Admission to the occupation

Directive 96/26/EC (OJ L 124, 23.5.1996, pp. 110), as amended by Directive 98/76/EC (OJ L 277,14.10.1998, pp. 1725)

Road haulage

Community authorisation: Regulation (EEC) No 881/92 (OJ L 95, 9.4.1992, pp. 17)

Cabotage: Regulation (EEC) No 3118/93 (OJ L 279, 12.11.1993, pp. 116)

Driver attestation: Regulation (EC) 484/2002 amending Regulations (EEC) No 881/92 and (EEC) No 3118/93 (OJ L 76, 19.3.2002, pp. 16)

Hired vehicles: Directive 2006/1/EC (OJ L 33, 4.2.2006, pp. 8285)

Passenger transport

Community authorisation: Regulation (EEC) No 684/92 (OJ L 74, 20.3.1992, pp. 19), as amended byRegulation (EC) No 11/98 (OJ L 4, 8.1.1998, pp. 19)

Cabotage: Regulation (EC) No 12/98 (OJ L 4, 8.1.1998, pp. 1014)

Safety and social aspects Driving time, working hours and rest periods

Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 (OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, pp. 114),

Directive 2002/15/EC (OJ L 80, 23.3.2002, pp. 3539)

Standards and checks

Tachograph: Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 (OJ L 370, 31.12.1985, pp. 821), modified by Regulation (EC)No 2135/98 (OJ L 274, 9.10.1998, pp. 121) and Regulation (EC) No 1360/2002 (OJ L 207, 5.8.2002,pp. 1252), and at the latest by Regulation (EC) No 561/2006

Directive 2006/22/EC (OJ L102, 11.4.2006, pp. 3544)

Driver training: Directive 2003/59/EC (OJ L 226, 10.9.2003, pp. 417)

Taxes and charges Excise duty

Excise duty on fuel: Directive 2003/96/EC (OJ L 283, 31.10.2003, pp. 5170)

Eurovignette and tolls

Directive 99/62/EC as amended by Directive 2006/38/EC (OJ L 157, 9.6.2006, pp. 823)

Interoperability of electronic tolls: 2004/52/EC (OJ L166, 30.4.2004, pp. 124143)

Agreements with non-member countries EC/Swiss Confederation agreement

Agreement on the carriage of goods and passengers by rail and road (OJ L114, 30.4.2002, pp. 91131)

Interbus agreement

Council Decision 2002/917/EC (OJ L 321, 26.11.2002, pp. 1112)

To access these legal texts, see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/

Road transport is critical for Europe, for our economy, for our jobs and for our well-being. Regardless of howmuch other modes of transport develop, including those perceived as more environmentally friendly, there willalways be a requirement for high-quality road freight and passenger transport services, whether stand-aloneor as part of a multimodal transport chain. The EU aims to create the conditions in which Europes roadtransport market operates efficiently and safely, and the policies it is implementing are set out in this brochure.

http://.ec.europa.eu/transport/road/policy/index_en.htm

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