No C 348/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 31. 12. 81 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 75/130/EEC of 
17 February 1975 on the establishment of common rules for certain types of combined 
road/rail carriage of goods between Member States 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the 
European Communities No C 312 of 1 December 1981, page 4. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 10 November 1981 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the 
Economic and Social Committee in accordance with Article 75 of the Treaty 
establishing the European Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
192nd plenary session held in Brussels on 25 and 26 November 1981. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having Regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 75 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of 
the European Communities on 10 November 1981 
for an opinion on the matter, 
Having regard to Council Directive 75/130/EEC of 
17 February 1975 on the establishment of common 
rules for certain types of combined road/rail carriage 
of goods between Member States (') and the 
Committee opinion thereon (2), 
Having regard to Council Directive 79/5/EEC of 19 
December 1978 amending Directive 75/130/EEC on 
the establishment of common rules for certain types 
of combined road/rail carriage of goods between 
Member States (3) and the Committee opinion 
thereon, 
Having regard to the decision taken by the 
Committee chairman on 23 November 1981, 
(•) OJ No L 48, 22.2. 1975, p. 31. 
(2) OJ No C 131, 13. 12. 1972, p. 21. 
(3) OJ No L5, 9. 1. 1979, p. 33. instructing the Section for Transport and 
Communications to draw up an opinion on the 
matter (Article 22 of the Rules of Procedure), 
Having regard to the Section's opinion adopted at its 
141st meeting, held on 11 November 1981, 
Having regard to the oral report made by the 
rapporteur, Mr. Schneider (Article 29 of the Rules of 
Procedure), 
Having regard to the discussions at its 192nd plenary 
session, held on 25 and 26 November 1981 (meeting 
of 25 November 1981), 
Whereas Article 2 of Directive 75/130/EEC frees the 
combined road/rail carriage referred to in Article 1 
from all quota systems and systems of 
authorization; 
Whereas Directive 79/5/EEC, which amends and 
adds to Directive 75/130/EEC, provides in Article 8 
that Directive 75/130/EEC is to be valid until 31 
December 1981 'in the case of containers of 20 feet or 
more and swap bodies which have no supports'; 
Whereas this provision, in conjunction with Article 1 
of Directive 75/130/EEC as amended by Directive 
79/5/EEC, liberalized the carriage of 'containers of 
31. 12. 81 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 348/9 
20 feet or more and swap bodies which have no 
supports' on an experimental basis; 
Whereas the experiment provided for in Article 8 
must be considered to have a positive effect during 
the period which has elapsed; and whereas this liberalization should therefore be retained on a 
permanent basis, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
with one vote against: 
The Committee approves the Commission's 
proposal. 
Done at Brussels, 25 November 1981. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Tomas ROSEINGRAVE