No C 4/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.1.88 
Proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 78/546/EEC on statistical returns in 
respect of carriage of goods by road, as part of regional statistics 
COM(87) 548 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 26 November 1987) 
(88/C4/05) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 213 
thereof, 
Having regard to the draft Directive presented by the 
Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Par­
liament, documentation required in Community trade; whereas 
the existing practice of compiling statistical data at 
frontiers within the Community should be dispensed 
with, except where this is provided for specifically by 
Community rules; 
Whereas it is appropriate to apply the provisions of 
Article 9 of Directive 78/546/EEC to the new system for 
compiling statistical data, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Council Directive 78/546/EEC ('), as last 
amended by the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, 
must be amended to take account of changes in the 
common transport policy; 
Whereas Directive 78/546/EEC provides only for 
annual data supplies up to 12 months after the end of the 
reference year; whereas these data must be comparable 
with data for other means of transport which are 
compiled every month or every quarter; whereas 
quarterly data are therefore needed; 
Whereas Directive 78/546/EEC provides only for the 
compilation of statistical data for national and inter­
national traffic; whereas it is evident that cross-trade and 
cabotage are forms of traffic which will develop in the 
future; whereas it is therefore appropriate to compile 
statistical returns on this traffic; 
Whereas Directive 78/546/EEC does not enumerate 
some eastern European countries individually in the list 
of third countries, but simply groups them together 
under 'other European countries'; whereas it has become 
clear that these countries should be listed individually so 
that comparisons can be made with other means of 
transport, and so that the flow of goods to and from 
these countries can be monitored more effectively; 
Whereas the list of data which can be required by the 
Member States on the movement of goods within the 
Community will be strictly limited as of 1 January 1988; 
whereas this measure is part of a policy which has been 
adopted by the Council and the Commission and is 
designed to reduce as far as possible the administrative 
O OJ No L 168, 26. 6. 1978, p. 29. Article 1 
Directive 78/546/EEC is hereby amended as follows: 
1. The following is added to Article 1: 
'(c) between two other Member States, between 
another Member State and a non-Member State 
or between two non-Member States (hereinafter 
referred to as "cross-trade"); 
(d) in the territory of another Member State (here­
inafter referred to as "cabotage").' 
2. Article 3 (1) is replaced by the following: 
'1. Each Member State shall compile statistical 
data on carriage as referred to in Article 1 by 
vehicles registered in its territory. The transport 
parameters shall be determined by the tractor 
vehicle. If in a coupled combination of vehicles, the 
tractor vehicle and the trailer unit are registered in 
different countries, the complete vehicle shall be 
deemed to be registered in the country where the 
tractor vehicle is registered.' 
3. The introductory phrase of Article 3 (2) is replaced 
by the following: 
'The statistical data shall be broken down under the 
following headings:' 
4. Article 3 (2) (b) is replaced by the following: 
'(b) for international transport, cross-trade and 
cabotage, expressed in terms of tonnes and 
tonne-kilometres: 
— carriage on own account and carriage for 
hire or reward, 
— the 24 groups of goods listed in Annex I, 
^n^ COfficial journal of the European Communities ^oC^B5 
— the countries of loading and unloading listed 
in Annex NL except forcabotage^ which is 
limited to the Member StatesB 
5. Article^^is replaced by the following^ 
^. Member States shall forward to the 
commission the statistical data specified in this 
Articleinaccordance withthemodelsof thetables 
set out in Annex IVB 
D. Article^is replaced by the following^ 
^hen determining the method to be used for 
compiling statistical data on internationaltransport^ 
crossDtrade and cabotages the Member States shall 
refrainfromcarryingoutallformalities atfrontiers 
between Member StatesB 
B^. The following indent is added to Article^pl^ 
^Idowever^ the data for the C tables shall be 
compiled for the first time for l^B 
^. Article^^is replaced by the following^ 
5^, Member States shall sendtheCommissionthe 
A^Band^BC^Dtablesset out in Annex PV before 
the end of the year following the reference year^ 
they shall send the commission the CPC^C3 and 
^ tables set out in Annex PV no later than five 
months after the end of the reference periodB 
^. Article^^is replaced by the following^ 
^3. The commission shall communicate to 
Member States^ at the earliest possible date^ the 
results of the surveys together with any other appro^ 
priate information it may haveB 
10. ArticleD^is replaced by the following^ 
5^. ^hendeterminingthemethodtobeusedfor 
compiling their data^ Member States shall take the 
stepsnecessary to obtain sufficientresultsregarding the tonnage carried in national transports inters 
national transports crosstrade and cabotage. They 
shallprovidetheCommissionwithinformationeach 
year on the non^response rate and^ in the form of 
standard deviations or confidence.intervals^ on the 
degree of accuracy of the results. They shall in 
addition report to it on the method used in calcuu 
lating the figures relating to the transport services 
provided^ expressed in tonneddlometresB 
11. Article^is replaced by the following^ 
PheCommissionshallpublish appropriatestatistical 
resultsB 
1^. Article^is deleted. 
13. The following second subparagraph is added to 
Article ^ ^Phis system shall also apply during the 
first three years of the amended system for 
compiling statistics^ from 1^5 
1^. Thefollowing words are inserted after 5Pinland^ in 
the list of third countries in Annex NT 
aUSSR 
Roland 
Hungary 
Romania 
BulgariaB 
15. The tables inthe Annex to this Directive are added 
to Annex PV. 
Member States shall take the measures necessary to 
comply with this Directive not later thanl]anuaryl^^. 
They shall forthwith inform the commission thereof. 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
No C 4/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.1.88 
ANNEX 
ROAD 
TABLE CI 
(quarterly) 
National and international traffic, according to country and type of carriage 
(tonnes) 
Country 
A. National 
International ('): 
B. Received from: 
01 
02 
C. Dispatched to: 
01 
02 Own account Hire or reward Total 
Totals: 
EUR (B + C) 
State-trading countries (B + C) 
Third countries (B + C) 
B 
C 
A + B + C 
B + C 
(') Annex III. 
ROAD 
TABLE C2 
(quarterly) 
National and international traffic, according to country and type of carriage 
(tkm) 
Country 
A. National 
International (l): 
B. Received from: 
01 
12 
EUR 
C. Dispatched to: 
01 
12 
EUR 
Total A + B + C 
Total B + C Own account Hire or reward Total 
(') Member States. 
8.1.88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 4/7 
ROAD 
TABLE C3 
(quarterly) 
Cabotage and cross-trade, according to country and type of carriage 
(tonnes) 
Country of 
Loading 
A. Cabotage: 
01 
02 
12 
Total 
B. Cross-trade: 
01 
02 
Total 
C. Total A + B Unloading 
01 
02 
12 
02 
03 
04 
05 
Total 01 
01 
03 
04 
05 
Total 02 
01 
02 
03 
04 
05 
Total Own account Hire or reward Total 
Totals, part B (insert the countries of loading/unloading in the columns): 
EUR 
State-trading countries 
Third countries 
Total 
No C 4/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.1.88 
ROAD 
TABLE C4 
(quarterly) 
Cabotage and cross-trade, according to country and type of carriage 
(tkm) 
Country 
Loading . 
A. Cabotage: 
01 
02 
12 
Total 
B. Cross-trade 
(limited to 
Member 
States): 
01 
02 
Total 
C. Total A + B Unloading 
01 
02 
12 
02 
03 
04 
05 
12 
Total 01 
01 
03 
04 
05 
12 
Total 02 
01 
02 
03 
04 
05 
12 
Total Own account Hire or reward Total 
8.1.88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 4/9 
ROAD 
TABLE C5/C6 (C5: OWN ACCOUNT; C6: HIRE OR REWARD) 
(annually) 
Cabotage and cross-trade, according to country and group of goods 
(tonnes) 
Country of 
Loading 
A. Cabotage: 
01 
02 
12 
Total 
B. Cross-trade: 
01 
02 
Total 
C. Total A + B Unloading 
01 
02 
12 
02 
03 
04 
05 
Total 01 
01 
03 
04 
05 
Total 02 
01 
02 
03 
04 
05 
Total Group of goods (') 
01 02 24 Total 
Totals, part B (insert the countries of loading/unloading in the columns): 
EUR 
State-trading countries 
Third countries 
Total 
(') Annex I.