28 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
NoL182/14 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 12.8.71
COMMISSION DECISION
of28July1971
onadisputebetweenFranceandBelgiumonthefixingoftariffratesforthecarriage
ofgoodsbyroadbetweenthetwocountriesinimplementation ofCouncilRegulation
(EEC)No1174/68of30July1968
(OnlytheDutchandFrenchtextsareauthentic)
(71/300/EEC)
THECOMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuro­
peanEconomicCommunity ;
HavingregardtoCouncilRegulation (EEC)No
1174/681of30July1968ontheintroductionofa
systemofbrackettariffsforthecarriageofgoodsby
roadbetweenMemberStates,andinparticularAr­
ticles2to4thereof;
WhereasFrance,byletterof24May1971fromthe
OfficeofitsPermanentRepresentative ,referredto
theCommission,pursuanttoArticle4(2)(b)of
Regulation(EEC)No1174/68,thedisputewhich
hasarisenbetweenthatcountryandBelgiumoncer­
tainaspectsofthetariffinrespectofroad'transport
betweenFranceandBelgium;
Whereas,atthemeetingwiththerepresentatives of
theCommisssionon-21June1971,therepresenta­
tivesofthetwoMemberStatesnotifiedtheCommis­
sion,inaccordancewithArticle4(2)(a)ofthe
saidRegulation,oftheiragreementonallaspectsof
thattariffwhicharenotthesubjectofthedispute
whichhasbeenreferredtotheCommission ;
Whereasthedisputerelatestothegenerallevelof
thetariffratesandtothedifferentiation oftherates
bytariffclassesofgoodsandbytonnageconditions;
WhereasBelgiumconsidersthattheratesproposed
jointlybyFrenchandBelgiancarriers,inthepro­
posalpublishedintheJournalOfficieldelaRepub­
liquefrangaiseof25November1970,donotaltogether
correspondtothecostsofBelgiancarriersnor,incer­
taincases,tothemarketsituationandthatfortheseratestobeinlinewithArticle3ofRegulation(EEC)
No1174/68theratesforthebasictonnagecondition
of20metrictonsshouldbereducedby15%bet­
ween51and100km,by22%for200km,by8%
for500km,by15%for800kmand29%for1200
km,andtheratesforothertonnageconditionsshould
bethe20metrictonsrateplus13-5%forthe15
metrictonscondition,40%forthe10metrictons
condition,67%forthe7metrictonsconditionand
95-5%forthe5metrictonscondition;
WhereasBelgiumisoftheopinionthat,ihthiscon­
nection,transportconditionsbetweenBelgiumand
FrancearecomparabletothosebetweenBelgiumand
GermanyandthattheBelgium/Franceratesshould
bealignedontheproposedBelgium/Germanytariff
rateswhich,inparticular,allowthegreaterdegres­
sivityforlongdistancesrequestedbyBelgiumtomeet
competitionfromtherailways;
WhereasFrance,foritspart,considersthattherates
proposedbythecarriersaretoohigh,thatthedif­
ferentiationoftheratesbytariffclassesisexcessive
andthatfortheratestobeinlinewithArticle3of
Regulation(EEC)No1174/68theyshouldbere­
ducedby25%fordistancesupto125km,bya
percentagedecreasing -graduallyfrom25to8%for
distancesoffrom126to200kmandby8%for
distancesof201kmandoverandthattheratesfor
tariffclassIshouldbefixedat110%andthoseof
tariffclassIVat85%oftheratesfortariffclassII;
WhereasFranceisoftheopinionthat,inthisconnec­
tion,thecostincreases,onwhichthecarriersbased
their1970proposal,exceedforFrenchcarriers,when
comparedwithatariffproposedbythelatterin1967,
thecostincreaseswhichhaveactuallyoccuredsince
then;whereasthe,returnonwhichthecarriersbase
theircalculationsisexcessivehavingregardtothe
conceptof'fairreturn'withinthemeaningofthe
secondsubparagraph ofArticle3(1)ofthesaid 1OJNoL194,6.8.1968,p.1.

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 29
Whereastheratedifferentialsfortonnageconditions
otherthan20metrictonsshouldtakeaccount,in
particular,oftheactualconditionsofcarriageof
consignmentsinthedifferentcategoriesofvehicles;
AfterconsultingtheCommitteeofExpertssetupby
Article11ofRegulation(EEC)No1174/68,
HASADOPTEDTHISDECISION;
Article1
Forconsignmentsinthe20metrictonsconditionof
goodsfallingwithintariffclassIItheupperlimitof
thebrackettarifffortransportbetweenFranceand
Belgiumshallbethatsetoutintheproposalbythe
FrenchandBelgiancarrierspublishedintheJournal
OfficieldelaRepubliquefrangaiseof25November
1970,less:
-15%fordistancesof51to55km;
-15%fordistancesof121to130km:
-6-75%fordistancesof291to300km;
-4-5%fordistancesof441to460km;
-9%fordistancesof781to800km;Regulation;whereasthecarriers'costcalculationsdo
nottakeaccountoftheneedforonlyonedriverfor
shorthaulsandwhereasthedifferentiation ofrates
bytariffclassesappearstoexaggeratethedifferential
costoftransport;
Whereas,pursuanttoArticles2and3ofRegulation
(EEC)No1174/68'eachtariffshallbedrawnupby
referencetoabase-rate,whichshallbethemiddle
pointofthebracket',thebracketspreadbeing23%
ofthemaximumrate;whereas'thebase-rateshallbe
fixedhavingregardbothtotheaveragecostofthe
transportoperationconcerned,includingthegeneral
expensesofthebusiness,foraproperlymanaged
undertakingenjoyingnormalconditionsofuseofits
carryingcapacity,andtomarketconditions,andshall
besuchastoprovideafairreturnforcarriers';
whereas'tariffsmayvaryaccordingtothecircum­
stancesoftheserviceprovided,andinparticularac­
cordingtothetechnicalandeconomiccharacteristics
oftheoperationinquestion,therouteconcerned,the
lengthofthetransitperiod,thetonnageconditions,
andthetypeofgoodscarried';
Whereas,asregardstheleveloftherates,
-infixingthebase-ratesofthetariffsaccountmust
betakenoftheaveragecostofthecorresponding
transportoperationeffectedbyFrenchandBelgian
carriers;
-thepercentageincreasesince1967,mentionedby
France,hasreferencetotransportcostsandnotto
thetariffproposedbythecarriersin1967,the
relationshipofwhichtothosecostswasnotthat
providedforinRegulation(EEC)No1174/68;
-fordeterminingvehiclecrewcostsaccountmustbe
takenoftheprovisionsofCouncilRegulation
(EEC)No543/691of23March1969onthehar­
monizationofcertainsociallegislationrelatingto
roadtransport;
-theaverageprofitmargintakenforcalculationof
theratesshouldcorrespondtowhatiscustomary
inthatsector;-
-examinationofroadtransportcostsdoesnotreveal
anymarkeddegressivityinrelationtodistance;nor
doesthemarketsituationsuggestanyneedfor
tariffsofgeneralapplication,suchasthese,tobe
mademoredegressive,bearinginmindthatwhere,
inparticularcases,themarketsituationjustifies
theapplicationofratesbelowthegeneraltariff
bracket,Regulation (EEC)No1174/68allows
specialtariffstobefixedandspecialcontractsto
beconcludedunderconditionsdeterminedtherein;
Whereas,havingregardtotheprovisionsofArticle
3ofRegulation(EEC)No1174/68,accountshould
betaken,inthedifferentiation oftheratesbytariff
classesofthecriteriaemployedforthebreakdownof
goodstariffclasses;-10%fordistancesof1151to1200kmandover.
Fordistancesbetweenthoseshowninthefirstsub­
paragraphtherateshallbereckonedbylinearpro­
gression.
Article2
Theratesforconsignments ofgoodsfallingwithin
tariffclassIshallbethosefortariffclassII,plus
12-5%.
Theratesforconsignmentsofgoodsfallingwithin
tariffclassesIIIandIVshallbethosefortariffclass
II,less7-5%and17-5%respectively .
Article3
Theratesforothertonnageconditionsshallbethose
forthe20metrictonsconditionplus:
-7-5%forthe15metrictonscondition;
-26-5%forthe10metrictonscondition;
-50%forthe7metrictonscondition;
-76%forthe5metrictonscondition.
Article4
ThisDecisionisaddressedtotheFrenchRepublic
andtotheKingdomofBelgium.Itshallbecom­
municatedtotheotherMemberStates. 1OJNoL77,29.3.1969,p.49.

30 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Article5 DoneatBrussels,28July1971.
FortheCommissionThisDecisionshallbecomeeffectiveafteraperiod
of20daysfromitsnotification,unlessaMember
StaterefersthemattertotheCouncilbeforethat
periodexpires.ThePresident
FrancoM.MALFATTI