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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(74)669
Vol.1974/0105

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(74)669final
Brussels,16May1974
COMMISSION OPINION
of16May1974
addressedtotheIrishGovernment ,concerningtwodraftregulations
ontheimplementation ofRegulation(EEC)No543/69ofthe
Council,of25March1969»on"theharmonization ofcertain
sociallegislationrelatingtoroadtransport.
C0M(74)669final

cori(71)a?
COILTSSZOI'T OPIITTO7?
of16I:ay1974
addressedtotheIrishGovernment ,concerningtT.;odraft
regulationsontheiuplcmont.itIonofRegulation(EEC)JJO
543/69oftheCouncil,of25Ilarch1069,011theharmonization
01certainsociallegislationrelatingto_ -
InaccordancewithArticle§1ofRegulation (EEC)N°543/69
oftheCouncilof25March1969(l)"theIrishGovernmentcommunicated
totheCommission ,bylettersdated28larchand3April1973,tv;o
draftregulationsconcerning :•-.plonontation .oftheabove-mentioned
RegulationandacopyoftheindividualcontrolbookwhichtheGovern­
mentcontemplates using.Furthermore ,duringconversations withthe
Commission'sdepartments on17AugustinDublin,acopyofacircular
letterfromtheDepartmentofLocalGovernment ,addressedtodrivers,
onthesubjectoftheminimumagesandqualifications requiredfor
driversengagedininternational transportoperations ,wassubmitted
totheCommissionforitsopinion.
1.Thedraftregulationentitled"EuropeanCommunities (Road
Transport)(N02)Regulations ,1973">drawnupbytheDepartmentof
Labotir,whichwasputbeforetheCommissionbyaletterof28March
1973,providesforthecontrolandpenaltiesnecessaryforthe
implementation ofReguMion(EEC)U°543/69.
Moreparticularly :
-Section1fixesthedateofentryintoforceoftheRegulations ;
-Section2containsthedefinitions ;
-Section3fixesthepenalties ;
-Section4concernstheauthorizing warrantwithwhichtheinspecting
officersmustbefurnished ;
-Section5dealswiththepowersofauthorizedinspectingofficers
andfixesa,fineforpersonswhoobstructtheseofficersinthe
executionoftheirduties;
-Section6specifiesthatanoffenceundertheseRegulations maybe
prosecuted bytheMinister.
2.Thedraftregulationentitled"EuropeanCommunities (Road
Traffic)Regulations ,1973",drawnupbytheDepartmentofLocalGovern­
ment,whichwasputbeforetheCommissionbyaletterof3April1973,
providesforthepenaltiestobeimposedinthecaseofbreachofthe
provisionsofArticle5§1snd2ofRegulation(EEC)543/69«
OJN°L77,29March1969,p.49 .../...

3. ThecircularletterfromtheDepartmentofLocalGovernment
mentionsthefactthatRegulation (EEC)N°543/69prescribesminimumages
andqualifications forcertaindriversengagedininternational transport
operations.Thiscircularstatesthattheseconditionsapplytoholdersof
IrishdrivinglicencesonlywhiletheyaredrivingoutsideIrishterritory
inanotherMemberStateoftheCommunity.Inaddition,atthediscussions
of17AugustinDublin,theIrishrepresentatives stronglyemphasizedthat
theyinterprettheterm"international transport"asthatpartofthejoarney
whichisthroughforeignterritory.
4. TheCommissionnotesthattheproposedregulations andthe
informationcircularpartiallymeettherequirements oftheEECRegulation.
Itconsidersitmustmaketheobservations setoutbelow:
A.TheCommissionnotesthatthemaximumfineimposedincaseofbreachis
h100.ItdrawstheIrishGovernment'sattentiontotheneedtopromote
harmonization ofthepenaltiesamongtheMemberStates.Fromthispoint
ofviewitconsidersthatthemaximumfineprovidedforshouldbeconsiderably
higher.
B.WhereasotherMemberStateshavearrangedforsuspensionofthetransport
permitforseriousbreaches,theIrishdraftsdonotcontainanypenalty
ofthiskind.TheIrishGovernmentisthereforerequestedtoconsider
introducingthispenalty.
C.TheIrishGovernment drewtheCommission'sattentiontothefacttha,t
suspensionofthedrivinglicenceislaiddownasapenaltyintheRoad
TrafficAct,19^1»However,itisnotclearwhetherthispenaltymaybe
appliedinthecaseofbreachofthe"EuropeanCommunities (RoadTraffic)
Regulations ,1973"and/orthe"EuropeanCommunities (RoadTransport)(IT02)
Regulations ,1973".TheIrishGovernmentisthereforerequestedtoinform
theCommissionaboutthispointandtoprovideforthatpenaltyifitdoes
notyetexist.
D.NorcanitbesaidwhetherandtowhatextentIrishlawsotherthanthe
twoproposedregulations enabletheauthoritiesresponsibleforcontrol
toimmobilizeadriverwithhisvehicleforacertainperiodifheisnot
carryinganindividualcontrolbookorhasnotkepthisbookuptodate.

-3-
TheIrishGovernmentisrequestedtoinformtheCommissionaboutthis
pointalsoand,whereappropriate ,toprovideforthepossibility.
E.Thedraftregulationscontainnoarrangements relatingtocompensations
forreductionsoftherestperiodasprovidedforinArticle11§6of
Regulation (EEC)N°543/o$UTheCommissionrequeststheIrishGovernment
tomaketheprovisionsnecessaryforthispurpose.
F.Whilerespectingthereasonsofinternalrelativejurisdiction which
ledtotheIrishGovernment'ssubmittingtwoseparatedraftregulations ,
theCommissionconsidersthatitwouldbeadvisable,forthesakeof
simplicityandclarity,tocombinethetworegulationsinasingletext,
ifthisispossible.
G.TheIrishGovernment'sinterpretation oftheterm"international transport
operations"whichappearsinArticle19§2ofRegulation(EEC)ET°543/69is?
admittedly ,notdefinedintheRegulation ,butthisisbecauseitis
generallyconsideredtobeself-explanatory ,Communityhasalways
understoodinternational transporttobealltransportbetweenthebe­
ginningofajourneyandthedestination .Whatthetransportworld
generallyconsidersinternational transporttobeappearsclearlyfrom
thefollowingdefinitions takenfromtwohigh-levelinternational agree­
ments:
1Generalagreementontheeconomicregulationofinternational road
transport,17March1954J
-"International passengertransportshallbe.consideredas.any
transportcarriedoutbymeansofvehiclesemployedinthetransport
of'personsandhaving,apartfromthedriver'sseat,morethaneight
seats,providedthejourneycomprisesthecrossingofatleastone
frontierbetweentwocountries.
-"International goodstransportistransportcarriedoutbymeansof
avehicleemployedinthetransportofgoods,thepointofdeparture
andthedestination beinglocatedintwodifferentcountries".
2.EuropeanagreementconcerningtheWorkofCrewsofVehiclesengagedin
International RoadTransport(AETR)of1July1970:
"ForthepurposesofthepresentAgreementtheexpression "international
roadtransport"meansroadtransportwhichinvolvesthecorssingofat
leastonefrontier."

ItshouldbenotedthattheAETRandtheCommunityRegulation
havebeenadaptedtoeachotherandthatalltheoriginalMemberStates,
bysigningtheAETR,expressedagreementwiththisdefinition ,which,moreover
theyhaveappliedsince1October1969•
Thus,anyinternational transportoperationconstitutes a
whole.Anydivisionofsuchanoperationintoastretchlocatedinthe
vehicle'scountryofregistration andastretchlocatedinothercountries
isartificialandshouldthereforenotbeallowed.AsRegulation (EEC)N°543/69
appliestothewholedistancecoveredbyinternational transport,therecan
benoquestionofconfimingitsimplementation toapartofthedistance,
asprovidedforbytheIrishinterpretation .Suchaninterpretation would,
moreover,makeitpractically impossibletoimplementtheRegulationsince
itsresultwouldbethattheprovisionsconcerningdrivingandrestperiods
andthequalificationsofthedriverwouldchangeatthefrontier.
ForallthesereasonstheCommissionrejectstheIrishin­
terpretation .ItconsidersthattheIrishGovernmentshouldrevisethe
DepartmentofLocalGovernment'scircularaccordingly ,andinsiststhatthe
regulations proposedmustapplytothewholeoftheinternational mileage.
3. Inconclusion ,andsubjecttotheremarksundersection4
aboveandparticularly totherequirementexpressedur.dgr4G,theCommission
approvesthedraftregulations considered.
DoneatBrussels,16Hay1974
PortheCommission
ThePresident
François-Xavier ORTOLI