6. TRANSPORT POLICY

31993 R 3118: Council Regulation (EEC) No 3118/93 of 25 October 1993 laying down the conditions under which non-resident carriers may operate national road haulage services within a Member State (OJ L 279, 12.11.1993, p. 1), as last amended by:

- 32002 R 0484: Regulation (EC) No 484/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 1.3.2002 (OJ L 76, 19.3.2002, p. 1).

(a) By way of derogation from Article 1 of Regulation (EEC) No 3118/93 and until the end of the second year following the date of accession, carriers established in Slovakia shall be excluded from the operation of national road haulage services in the other Member States, and carriers established in the other Member States shall be excluded from the operation of national road haulage services in Slovakia.

(b) Before the end of the second year following the date of accession, Member States shall notify the Commission whether they will prolong this period for a maximum of two years or whether they will fully apply Article 1 of the Regulation henceforth. In the absence of such notification, Article 1 of the Regulation shall apply. Only carriers established in those Member States in which Article 1 of the Regulation applies may perform national road haulage services in those other Member States in which Article 1 also applies.

(c) Before the end of the fourth year following the date of accession, in case of serious disturbances, or threat thereof, in the national road haulage market, Member States in which Article 1 of the Regulation does not apply by virtue of paragraph (b) above shall notify the Commission whether they will prolong this period for a maximum of one year or whether they will fully apply Article 1 of the Regulation henceforth. In the absence of such notification, Article 1 of the Regulation shall apply. Only carriers established in those Member States in which Article 1 of the Regulation applies may perform national road haulage services in those other Member States in which Article 1 also applies.

(d) As long as Article 1 of the Regulation does not fully apply in all Member States, those Member States in which Article 1 of the Regulation applies by virtue of paragraph (b) or (c) above may resort to the procedure set out below.

When a Member State referred to in the preceding subparagraph undergoes a serious disturbance of its national market or parts thereof due to or aggravated by cabotage, such as serious excess of supply over demand or a threat to the financial stability or survival of a significant number of road haulage undertakings, that Member State shall inform the Commission and the other Member States thereof and shall supply them with all relevant particulars. On the basis of this information, the Member State may request the Commission to suspend, in whole or in part, the application of Article 1 of the Regulation, in order to restore to normal the situation.

The Commission shall examine the situation on the basis of data provided by the Member State concerned and shall decide within one month of receipt of the request on the need for the adoption of safeguard measures. The procedure laid down in the second, third and fourth subparagraphs of paragraph 3, as well as paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Article 7 of the Regulation shall apply.

A Member State referred to in the first subparagraph above may, in urgent and exceptional cases, suspend the application of Article 1 of the Regulation, followed by a reasoned ex-post notification to the Commission.

(e) As long as Article 1 of the Regulation is not applied by virtue of paragraphs (a) to (c) above, Member States may regulate access to their national road haulage services by progressively exchanging cabotage authorisations on the basis of bilateral agreements. This may include the possibility of full liberalisation.

(f) The effect of the application of paragraphs (a) to (d) shall not lead to more restrictive access to national road haulage services than that prevailing on the date of signature of the Treaty of Accession.

--------------------------------------------------