3. 3. 80 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 53/51 
requires the cooperation of several States'. This is 
particularly important in the case of endangered and 
vulnerable species. 
In view of the fact, however, that the Convention 
has already been signed at the time of expressing 
this opinion and changes are self-evidently pre­
cluded at this stage, the Committee has a number of 
preoccupations. 
It seems that a number of Articles of this Conven­
tion need further clarification, in particular Articles 
8 and 9 and their related Annex 4. 
Done at Brussels, 25 October 1979. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 75 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council 
of the European Communities on 30 July 1979 for 
an opinion, In addition, an important consideration is the pro­
tection of eco-systems, i.e. the protection of the in­
ter-related balance between flora and fauna and 
their surroundings. 
For these reasons, the Committee considers a study 
in depth should be undertaken to permit a close ex­
amination and thereby a more precise interpretation 
of the Convention. This could, at a later stage, be 
the basis of a revision of the Convention. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
R. VANNI 
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) 
No 1018/68 of 19 July 1968 (0, as last amended 
by Council Regulation (EEC) No 3062/78 of 19 
December 1978 (2), 
(•) OJNoL175,23.7. 1968, p. 13. 
(2) OJ No L 366, 28. 12. 1978, p. 5. Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 3164/76 
on the Community quota for the carriage of goods by road between Member States 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 193 of 31 July 1979. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 30 July 1979 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and. Social Committee in accordance with Article 75 of the Treaty establishing the Eu­
ropean Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
172nd plenary session held in Brussels on 24 and 25 October 1979. 
No C 53/52 Official Journal of the European Communities 3. 3. 80 
Having regard to its opinion on the matter of 19 Oc­
tober 1978 (J), 
Having regard to the decision taken by its chairman 
on 6 September 1979 instructing the Section for 
Transport and Communications to prepare the 
Committee's work on the new proposal, 
Having regard to the opinion issued by the Section 
for Transport and Communications at its meeting 
on 26 September 1979, 
Having regard to the oral report submitted by the 
rapporteur, Mr Renaud (Article 29 of the Rules of 
Procedure), 
Having Regard to the discussions at its 172nd plen­
ary session held on 24 and 25 October 1979 (meeting 
of 24 October 1979), 
Whereas the number of Community authorizations 
should be regularly adapted to the increase in inter-
Member State road haulage requirements not cov­
ered by bilateral authorizations, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
by 44 votes to 10 with five abstentions: 
1. The Committee notes once again that the statist­
ical evidence in support of the Commission's pro­
posal is inadequate. This applies in particular to the 
allocation of the quota, since account has only been 
taken of the use made of authorizations in 1977. The 
1977 figures, which have not been communicated to 
the Committee, cannot act as a valid basis for the al­
locations to be applied three years later in 1980 (the 
Commission informed the Committee at the plenary 
session that the 1980 quota will probably be allo-
0) OJ No C 105, 26. 4. 1979, p. 5. 
Done at Brussels, 24 October 1979. cated to Member States on the basis of the statistics 
for 1978). 
2. 1977 was the first year in which the stipulation 
that the authorizations were to be for multilateral 
traffic was deleted from the Regulation. It had pre­
viously been possible, ever since 1968, to withdraw 
authorizations from firms which used them for bila­
teral traffic, but a stop was put to this by Regulation 
(EEC) No 3164/76 of 16 December 1976, which is 
one of the bases for the Regulation currently in 
force. 
3. Nevertheless, a certain resistance has lingered 
on in some countries where the national authorities 
had strictly applied the rule (about the authoriza­
tions being only for multilateral traffic) that had be­
come a dead letter elsewhere. 
4. In consequence, the Committee proposes a 20 % 
linear increase across the board. 
5. In this connection reference should be made to 
the Committee opinion of 22 February 1979 on the 
draft Directive regarding short-term authoriza­
tions (2), which specified that up to 10 % of the an­
nual authorizations allocated to a Member State 
could be converted into 10-day authorizations, on' 
the basis of forty, 10-day authorizations for each an­
nual authorization. 
The Committee endorsed these provisions on a trial 
basis, but pointed to the problem posed by seasonal 
traffic, and to the considerable differences in geo­
graphical situations and in length of hauls. It there­
fore recommended a review, in the light of experi­
ence, of ways of bringing the ratio of short-term 
authorizations to annual authorizations into line 
with real road-haulage requirements, perhaps by 
varying the length of the short-term authorizations. 
(2) OJ No C 133, 28. 5. 1979, p. 23. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
R. VANNI 
3. 3. 80 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 53/53 
ANNEX 
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
The following amendment was rejected in the course of discussions: 
Replace the recital and sections 1 to 5 by: 
'Whereas the present state of the market does not warrant an increase in the number of Com­
munity authorizations, 
HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING OPINION: 
The Committee thinks there is no reason for topping up the Community quota. There is likely 
to be an appreciable slowdown in economic growth in 1980 as a result of the energy shortage 
and the resultant price increases. Some doubt must therefore be cast on the Commission's as­
sumption that trade between Member States will increase by 6 % in 1980. 
Another reason given in the explanatory memorandum for increasing the Community quota is 
the switch over to road transport, but this switch over should not be encouraged despite the 
need to save oil, or at the expense of road safety and smooth flow of traffic. 
The Commission's reference to the reduction of bilateral quotas is also false. No such reduc­
tions have taken place yet.' 
Reasons 
The general economic situation and the state of the transport market do not warrant an increase 
in Community quotas. 
Once again the Commission is proposing an increase in road haulage capacity without further 
progress having been made towards the alignment of the terms of competition between the var­
ious modes of transport. 
The Commission's proposals relate solely to a single mode of transport, namely road haulage. 
The general requirements of the transport sector as a whole are barely taken into consideration. 
The recent draft Directive introducing complete liberalization of transport for own account is a 
flagrant example. An increase in Community quotas, which is proposed each year by the Com­
mission and goes hand in hand with a rapid expansion of transport for own account, will rapidly 
increase road congestion while involving grave problems with respect to road safety, the environ­
ment and waste of energy resources. 
There is likely to be an appreciable slowdown in economic growth in 1980 as a result of the 
energy shortage and the resultant price increases. 
Consequently, the Commission's assumption that trade between Member States will expand by 
6 % in 1980 is not a sufficient reason for a unilateral increase in haulage capacity. 
Whatever the arguments put forward by the Commission, the fact remains that it is proposing a 
further, real increase in capacity which will make it still more difficult to resolve the problems of 
the transport sector. In the absence of an overall strategy on the common transport policy, the 
policy of gradualism pursued by the Commission is liable to create suspicion and unhealthy con­
troversy among those concerned. 
The progressive hardening of attitudes on transport issues which have been referred to the Econ­
omic and Social Committee bears witness to this. 
It is dangerous, or at least premature, to increase haulage capacity alone by Community mea­
sures, in the absence of a common policy on the weight and dimensions of road vehicles, infras­
tructure charges, road building, monitoring of the transport market, improvement of the situation 
of the railways, etc. 
No C 53/54 Official Journal of the European Communities 3. 3. 80 
The proposed increase in Community quotas is a further step in a direction which may well be 
contrary to a subsequent common transport policy'. 
Voting 
For: 11; against: 44; abstentions: 6. 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on information to be published on a re­
gular basis by companies whose transferable securities are admitted to official stock ex­
change listing 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 29 of 1 February 1979, page 5. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 6 February 1979 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Econ­
omic and Social Committee in accordance with Articles 54 and 198 of the Treaty esta­
blishing 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 
172nd plenary session held in Brussels on 24 and 25 October 1979. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, and in particular Arti­
cles 54 and 198 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council 
of the European Communities on 6 February 1979 
for an opinion, 
Having regard to the Rules of Procedure of the 
Economic and Social Committee, and in particular 
Article 22 thereof, 
Having regard to the decision taken by the Bureau 
of the Economic and Social Committee on 20 Feb­
ruary 1979 instructing the Section for Economic 
and Financial Questions to draw up an opinion on 
the matter, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Section for 
Economic and Financial Questions adopted at its 
53rd meeting on 18 September 1979, Having regard to the oral report made by the rap­
porteur, Mr Miller, 
Having regard to the discussions at its 172nd plen­
ary session held on 24 and 25 October 1979 (meeting 
of 24 October 1979), 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
The Committee welcomes in principle the purpose 
of the draft Directive, the aims of which are to rein­
force the protection given to investors by obliging 
companies to publish half-yearly reports on their ac­
tivities, and to bring about a degree of uniformity in 
company reporting throughout the Community. 
However, the Committee regards this draft Direc­
tive, containing only minimum standards, as merely 
a first step in the process of harmonization. It hopes