CONFÉRENCE EUROPÉENNE DES MINISTRES DES TRANSPORTS
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORTRESOLUTION No 22 CONCERNING THE PROBLEMS OF ESTABLISHINGA MULTILATERAL QUOTA AND THE HARMONIZATION OF COMPETITIVE
CONDITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT OF GOODS BY ROAD
[CEMT/CM(70)16]

The Council of Ministers of Transport, meeting in Florence on 11th June, 1970,
Having examined the report below of the Committee of Deputies [CM(70)5];
Confirming its intention to persist in its efforts to accomplish in the shortest possible time certain
specific actions in the context of general transport policy, the broad principles of which are given in theReport CM(69)8;
Being of the opinion that among such concrete actions in regard to the international carriage of goods byroad, priority must be given to the progressive liberalisation of road transport, along with the harmonization ofterms of competition;
Finding that these objectives cannot be achieved without a first experimental stage;
Aware that during the experimental stage for the progressive liberalisation of international carriage ofgoods by road, the extent to which existing restrictions can be lifted should be limited, and that theestablishment of a multilateral quota would seem at this time to provide the best answer to the problem;
Noting moreover that there are differences within the E.C.M.T. regarding competitive conditions
between road hauliers: differences in taxation and social measures and technical differences;
Considering that the achievement of the harmonization of competitive conditions is a work of long
duration and that it is accordingly appropriate for the first experimental phase, to make a choice between thedifferent fields where harmonization is to occur ;Taking note of the fact that two Member countries, France and Ireland, declared that they were unable totake part in the experiment under the conditions laid down by the Council, the reason given by France beingthat road haulage traffic within a multilateral quota cannot be envisaged until results are achieved in the fields
of social (application of the A.E.T.R. as modified), technical (application of the P.T.A. Agreement), and fiscal
harmonization (road pricing),
DECIDES:To establish as soon as possible a multilateral quota comprising approximately 300 licences forallocation among Member countries of the Conference, for an experimental period of three years;
To allocate this quota among the Member countries taking part in the experiment in accordance with thetable in the Annex to this Resolution, without prejudice to the allocation to be adopted and the conditions tobe defined at the end of the experimental period;

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EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT

To make the actual coming into force of the multilateral quota dependent:a) as regards social conditions, on the application by Member countries concerned of the A.E.T.R. (asamended) or of requirements at least as stringent as those laid down in that Agreement;b) as regards taxation:
1. on the power to decide that the amount of duty-free fuel which can be imported by each commercial
vehicle shall be at least 50 litres per vehicle;
2. on the abolition of any refund of the vehicle tax properly so called on a country’s own vehicles forthe time of their stay outside that country, in cases where these vehicles are exempt from the vehicle
tax levied by the foreign country concerned;
To invite the Member countries to seek ways of achieving a closer alignment of the different countries’
level of taxation on vehicles;
To invite those Member countries which are not taking part in the experiment or which have madecertain restrictions to its working arrangements, to facilitate the transit of E.C.M.T. licensed vehicles underbilateral agreements.
To invite the Member countries to take steps at national level to promote the utilisation of E.C.M.T.
licenses in multilateral traffic;
To review the situation before the expiry of the three year experimental period starting from the date at
which the multilateral quota comes into force;
Reaffirms that the possibility of participating in the multilateral quota system remains open to Member
countries of the Conference wishing to do so during the experimental period;
INSTRUCTS the Committee of Deputies:
as regards the multilateral quota, to draft in specimen form an administrative convention comprising themain provisions for the establishment of this quota, to serve as a basis for the adoption of a multilateraladministrative convention formulated in accordance with current practice for bilateral administrative
conventions relating to international road haulage;
to proceed with its efforts in the context of general transport policy, inter alia those concerning theharmonization of terms of competition in the fiscal, social and technical fields.

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EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORTANNEXE A to Resolution No 22(General Questions)
Allocation* of the Multilateral Quota for the three-year experimental period

Country

Number of licences

Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Germany
GreeceItaly
Luxembourg
Netherlands
NorwayPortugalSpainSweden
Switzerland
TurkeyUnited Kingdom
Yougoslavia

1325
1854 (1)1525
1335 (1)
1513
20
16
17
13
20
17

TOTAL

329

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Nota:
(1)

It was agreed that out of this total, a maximum of 25 licences will be valid for Spanish territory.

*It should be noted that in this allocation it is agreed that, irrespective of the numbers of licences
allotted to the respective countries, not more than 13 licences for each of them will be valid forAustrian territory.

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