17.7.73 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL197/49
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
of23May1973
addressedtotheGovernmentoftheKingdomofDenmarkonadraftlawconcerningthe
transportofgoodsbymotorvehicle
(73/203/EEC)
InaccordancewithArticle1oftheCouncilDecision
(*)of21March1962institutingaprocedureforprior
examinationandconsultationinrespectofcertain
laws,Regulationsandadministrative provisionscon­
cerningtransportproposedinMemberStates,the
DanishGovernmentforwardedtotheCommission ,
inaletterof21March1973fromtheOfficeofits
PermanentRepresentative totheEuropeanCommu­
nities,thetextsofadraftlawconcerningthe
transportofgoodsbymotorvehicleandtheexplana­
torymemorandumthereto.■
ThisletterreachedtheCommission on25March
1973.
TheDanishGovernment alsonotifiedtheother
MemberStatesofthebill.
AttheCommission'ssuggestion,abriefingsession
withtherepresentatives oftheDanishGovernment
washeldinBrusselson7May1973.
Theperiodofonemonthwithinwhich,underthe
CouncilDecisionof21March1962,theCommission
mustexpressanOpinionwas,inaccordancewith
Article2(4)ofthatDecision,extendeduntil
25May1973.
TheCommissiondidnotconsideritnecessaryto
consulttheotherMemberStatesinaccordancewith
Article2(3)oftheCouncilDecisionof
21March1962.
UnderArticle2oftheCouncilDecisionof21March
1962theCommission ,onthebasisofthegeneral
guidelinesdrawnupbytheCommunityinstitutions
asregardsaccesstotheroadtransportmarket,hereby
formulatesthefollowingrecommendation :theoccupationofcarriersubjecttocertainconditions
regardingfinancialmeansandprofessionalcom­
petenceand,secondly,toregulateallroadtransport,
withtheexceptionofthateffectedbyvehiclesofa
totalladenweightnotexceeding6metrictons.
Theintroductionofrulesgoverningaccesstothe
marketinthetransportofgoodsbyroadis,asa
generalprinciple,inlinewiththeobjectivespursued
bythecommontransportpolicy.
However,theadoptionofsuchmeasuresonthein­
itiativeofcertainMemberStatesintheframework
oftheirownnationallegislationisnotlikelytopro­
motetheimplementation ofthatpolicy.Forsucha
policytobeintroducedandforitsobjectivestobe
attained,themeasuresinquestionmustbeadopted
atCommunitylevelwithintheinstitutionalframe­
workoftheTreaty,andtheymustbeimplemented
simultaneously inauniformmannerbyallMember
States.
2.AstheCommissionhaspointedoutonmanyoc­
casions,Communityrulesgoverningaccesstothe
transportmarketandpriceformationconstitutethe
essentialelementofthecommonorganizationof
transport,whichmustmakeitpossibletoregulate
competition,topromotemarketintegrationandto
achievefreedomtoprovideservicesandtherightof
establishment inthefieldoftransport.
InaccordancewiththeideasexpressedbytheCom­
mission,theCouncilatitsmeetingon22June1965
agreedtotheintroductionofasystembasedona
commonorganizationofthemarketintransportand
onalignmentofoperatingconditionsinthenational
markets.Moreespecially,accesstothemarketand
priceformationareincludedasessentialelementsof
thissystem.
Moreover,initsResolutionof20October1966the
Councilstressed,inparticular,theimportanceof
adoptingprovisionsconcerningthecontrolofcapa­
cityandtherighttoengageintheoccupationof
carrier,andrequestedtheCommissiontopresent
corresponding proposalstoitassoonaspossiblein
respectofnationalandinternationaltransport.I
1.TheCommissionnotesthattheproposedlaws
areintended,firstly,tomaketherighttoengagein
(»)OJNo23,3.4.1962,p.720/62.

NoL197/50 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.7.73
Aproposal(*)tothiseffectwasmadebytheCom­
missionasearlyas1967,andwasapprovedbythe
EuropeanParliamentandtheEconomicandSocial
Committee .
I—Asregardsownaccounttransportoperations,the
proposeddefinitiondiffersinvariousrespects
fromthedelimitationemployedatCommunity
level,whichappearsinArticle9ofCouncilRegu­
lationNo11(2)of27June1960.Moreover,the
draftlawdoesnotcontainanyprovisionscon­
cerningtheequivalenceofownaccounttransport
operationsandtransportbymeansofhiredve­
hicles.TheCommissionconsidersthat,inview
oftheprinciplethattheintroductionofdifferent
provisionsinMemberStatesshouldbeavoided,it
wouldbedesirablefortheDanishGovernmentto
includeinitsdefinitiontheabovementioned
delimitation .Furthermore ,giventheeconomic
advantagerepresentedincertaincasesbythehire
ofvehicles,itwouldbedesirableforthedraft
lawtoincludetheprovisionslaiddownin
Article32(2)oftheabovementioned Commission
proposalof15June1967;
—Asregardsregularservices,thedefinitionalso
differsfromthatlaiddownbytheCommissionin
Article1ofitsproposalof15June1967referred
toaboveand,moreover,doesnotprovideforthe
adoptionofoperatingrulesapprovedbythe
authorities,whicharenecessarytoensureproper
functioningandthesafeguardofusers'interests.
5.InChapter3concerningcarriageforhireorre­
ward,thecriteriaadoptedbytheDanishGovernment
forfixingthenumberofauthorizations arelikelyto
introduceadegreeofcoordinationandtogivethe
authorizations acommercialvalue.Inthisconnection,
theCommissionpointsoutthat,initsvariouspro­
posalsrelatingtoaccesstothetransportmarket,it
hasarguedthatauthorizations shouldbenon-trans­
ferable.Ifthiswereso,theycouldhavenocommer­
cialvalue.
TheCouncilacceptedthisprinciplebydeclaringon
28February1972,whenitadoptedRegulation (EEC)
No517/72(*)ontheintroductionofcommonrules
forregularandspecialregularservicesbycoachand
busbetweenMemberStates,that'theapproval
givenbythecompetentauthoritiestothetransferof
authorizations mustguaranteethattheauthorizations
issuedwillnotbethesubjectofanytrade'.Further­
more,asregardstheconditionsgoverningtherightto
engageintheoccupationofroadhaulagecontractor,
theCommissionnotesthattheyonlyapproximately
correspondtotheconditionscontemplatedatCom­
munitylevelandthat,moreover,progresstodateis
suchthataDirectiveshouldshortlybeadoptedcon­
cerningtheconditionsgoverningtherighttoengage
intheoccupationofroadhaulagecontractor.RegardingthevariousChaptersofthedraftlaw,the
Commissionherebyformulatesthefollwingobser­
vations:
3.Asregardstheobjectivespursued,Article1estab­
lishesasaprinciplethesearchforabalancebetween
supplyanddemand,forhealthycompetitionbetween
carriersandforarationaldistributionoftransport
servicesbetweenthevariousformsoftransport.The
Commissionpointsoutthattheconceptofthecom­
montransportpolicyisbasedontheideathatthe
optimumdistributionoftrafficasbetweenformsof
transportandtransportundertakingsmustbeen­
suredbyfreecompetition .Toseektoachievesuch
adistributionbymeansofactivecoordinating
measures,intheformofrulesandRegulationsor
not,isthereforeoutofthequestion.
Suchaconcept,however,doesnotprecludeallinter­
ventionbytheauthoritiesinthemarket.Onthe
contrary,itimpliestheneedforcertainintervention
measureswithathreefoldaim:
—Toensurethefunctioningofthemarketby
placingtheformsoftransportandtransport
undertakings onanequalfooting,through
harmonization oftheconditionsofcompetition
andtheappropriatechargingofinfrastructure
costs;
—Topreventorremedytheabusestowhichcom­
petitioncangiverise,namelytheabuseofdo­
minantpositionsandruinouscompetition ,bythe
introductionofpermanentmachineryforthe
supervisionandcontrolofcapacityand,ifneed
be,bymeansoftemporaryselectivemeasures;
—Tocontributetoattainingobjectivesofregional
andsocialpolicy,insofarastheinterplayof
marketforcesalonewouldnotproducethat
result.
4.TheCommissionnotesthatinChapter2con­
cerningdefinitions:
—Asregardscarriageforhireorreward,apositive
definitionleadsinevitablytoconflictinginterpret­
ations,particularlyregardingtheconceptofre­
munerationadopted,whereasanegativedefinition
inrelationtothatofownaccountoperations
wouldhavefavouredharmonization whileavoid­
ingsuchinterpretations ;
(*)ProposalforaCouncilRegulationontheintroduction
ofcommonrulesgoverningtherighttoengageinthe
occupationofroadhaulagecontractorinthefieldof
nationalandinternationaltransport,andonrules
governingcapacityinthefieldofthenationaltransport
ofgoodsbyroad(OJNo254,20.10.1967,p.3).(2)RegulationNo11concerningtheabolitionofdiscrimi­
nationintransportratesandconditions,inimplemen­
tationofArticle79(3)oftheTreatyestablishingthe
EEC(OJNo52,16.8.1960,p.1121/60).
(3)OJNoL67,20.3.1972,p.19.

17.7.73 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL197/51
Inaddition,theadoptionofdifferentsubjectivecon­
ditionsinMemberStateswouldconstitutean
obstacletotheearlyattainmentoftherightofestab­
lishment.proposalsinlinewiththeobservationsformulatedin
SectionIIabove,withaviewtobringingtheminto
harmonywiththegenerallinesofthecommontrans­
portpolicy.
Ill
IV
7.TheCommissionshallinformtheotherMember
StatesoftheRecommendation .6.Giventheforegoing,theCommissionconsiders
thattheintroduction oftheproposedDanish
measuresshouldbeintegratedatCommunitylevel
bytheadoptionofcorresponding measuresinline
withtheprincipleslaiddownbytheCouncilinits
Agreementof22June1965andinaccordancewith
itsResolutionof20October1966.
Atallevents,theCommissionherebyrecommends
theDanishGovernmenttoamendthecontemplatedDoneatBrussels,23May1973.
FortheCommission
ThePresident
Francois-Xavier ORTOLI