Proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Interbus Agreement on the international occasional carriage of passengers by coach and bus - Corrigendum
Date: 2001-10-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, agreement (EU), bus, carriage of passengers, international transport

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 12.10.2001
COM(2001) 540 final/2

2001/0242 (AVC)

CORRIGENDUM:
Changement de cote interinstitutionnelle.
2001/0242 (AVC) remplace 2001/0222 (CNS).
Concerne toutes les versions linguistiques.

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION

on the conclusion of the INTERBUS Agreement on the international occasional carriage
of passengers by coach and bus

(presented by the Commission)

1. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

1

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

GENERAL BACKGROUND

On  7  December  1995,  the  Council  authorised  the  Commission  to  negotiate  a
Community  Agreement  on  the  international  occasional  carriage  of  passengers  by
coach and bus with third countries in Central and Eastern Europe which are members
of  the  European  Conference  of  Ministers  of  Transport.  Negotiations  have  been
opened  with  14  countries,  namely:  Bosnia-Herzegovina,  Bulgaria,  Croatia,  Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Turkey. 

The main aim was to obtain the same degree of liberalisation as that achieved by the
Agreement on the carriage of passengers by road by means of occasional coach and
bus  services  (ASOR)  signed  in  Dublin  on  26  May  19821  for  certain  occasional
services,  other  occasional  services  remaining  subject  to  authorisation.  The  need  to
make a new agreement arose from the fact hat the ASOR Agreement had been signed
with countries which have since become members of the European Union and only
Norway, Turkey and Switzerland were still covered by the ASOR Agreement, which
did not provide for future accession. 

This Interbus Agreement therefore includes most of the liberalisation measures of the
ASOR  Agreement  but  adds  social,  fiscal  and  technical  measures  based  on  the
principle of non-discrimination between the Contracting Parties. The Agreement will
govern not only traffic between the Community and the third countries concerned but
also traffic between the third countries themselves, thereby creating a certain degree
of harmonisation of fiscal, social and technical requirements in addition to the rules
on market access. Similarly, the  Interbus Agreement, unlike  the  ASOR  Agreement,
provides for accession after to its entry into force for any member of the CEMT as
well  as  for  the  Republic  of  San Marino,  the  Principality  of  Monaco  and  the
Principality  of  Andorra.  The  Interbus  Agreement  replaces  the  bilateral  agreements
concluded between the Contracting Parties. 

Six negotiating sessions have been held with the Contracting Parties, in consultation
with  a Committee designated  by  the  Council,  during  which  the  various  chapters  of
the Agreement have been discussed. Turkey never replied to the  invitations to take
part  in  the  negotiations.  The  Member  States  were  on  each  occasion  invited  to  take
part  as  observers.  Meetings  of  experts  were  also  held  with  the  Member  States  for
certain  technical  aspects  of  the  Agreement.  The  Commission  sent  the  successive
drafts of the Agreement to both the Member States and the partner countries. Before
being  signed,  the  draft  agreement  was  presented  to  the  Council  Working  Party  on
Transport Questions.

A  closing  negotiating  session  was  held  on  13  April  2000  during  which  the  partner
countries  present  expressed  their  agreement  with  the  text.  Twelve  countries  were
present,  six  of  them  initialled  the  Agreement  (Bulgaria,  Czech  Republic,  Moldova,
Poland,  Romania,  Latvia)  and  six  others  expressed  their  intention  to  sign  the

Regulation  (EEC)  No  56/83  of  16  December  1982  concerning  the  implementation  of  the
Agreement on the international carriage of passengers by road by means of occasional coach and
bus services - OJ L 10, 13.1.1983.

2

                                                
Agreement  (Estonia,  Lithuania,  Slovakia,  Slovenia,  Croatia,  Bosnia-Herzegovina).
Hungary and Turkey did not take part in the initialling ceremony. 

The  period  for  signing  the  agreement  was  scheduled  from  14  April  2000  until
31 December 2000 and was subsequently extended until 30 June 2001.

By 30 June 2001, the agreement had been signed by  the European Community  and
by  the  following  thirteen  countries:  Bosnia  Herzegovina,  Bulgaria,  Croatia,
Czech Republic,  Hungary,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Moldova,  Poland,  Romania,  Slovak
Republic, Slovenia and Turkey. 

CONTENTS OF THE AGREEMENT

The principle of non-discrimination. 

6. 

7. 

2. 

8. 

The  Agreement  provides  in  a  general  manner  that  the  Contracting  Parties  are
required  to  ensure  that  the  principle  of  non-discrimination  on  the  grounds  of  the
nationality or the place of establishment of the transport operator and of the origin or
destination of the bus or coach is applied. 

9. 

Access to the market. 

The  Agreement  provides  that  the  following  are  exempt  from  authorisation:
closed-door  tours,  services  which  make  the  outward  journey  laden  and  the  return
journey unladen, services on which the outward journey is made unladen and all the
passengers are taken up in the same place, transit operators, buses and coaches to be
used  exclusively  for  the  replacement  of  a  bus  or  coach  which  is  damaged.  These
services are performed under the cover of control documents issued by the competent
authorities, the models of which are established by the Agreement. 

Other  occasional  services  are  subject  to  authorisation.  The  detailed  rules  and
authorisation procedures are established in the Agreement. 

10. 

Harmonisation of laws

With  regard  to  the  requirements  applicable  to  transport  operators,  the  Agreement
provides that the Contracting Parties must apply provisions equivalent to those laid
down by the Community Directive on admission to the occupation (Annex 1 to the
Agreement). 

Similarly,  a  timetable  is  provided  for  the  adaptation  of  the  technical  standards
applicable  to  the  vehicles  to  various  Community  directives  (Annex  2  to  the
Agreement) to ensure that, by 2010 at the latest, only buses and coaches equivalent
to EURO 1 standard are on the road. 

In addition, the Agreement provides that the Contracting Parties which have not yet
done  so  must  accede  to  the  European  Agreement  concerning  the  work  of  crews  of
vehicles engaged in international road transport (AETR).

11. 

Fiscal provisions 

3

In order to avoid double taxation and to maintain the principle of non-discrimination,
the  Agreement  provides  that  no  tax  will  levied  on  the  circulation  or  possession  of
vehicles  and  no  special  tax  on  transport  operations  in  the  territory  of  the  other
Contracting Parties. The Joint Committee will be instructed to draw up a list of the
taxes  which  may  only  be  levied  on  the  Contracting  Party  of  registration  of  the
vehicle. However, taxes and charges on motor fuel, Value Added Tax, road tolls and
other charges for the use of infrastructure will apply in a non-discriminatory manner.
Nonetheless,  this  obligation  does  not  mean  that  there  may  not  be  differences,
depending  on  the  place  of  establishment  of  the  transport  operator,  as  regards  the
application  of  certain  fiscal  procedures  and  requirements  (e.g.  the  requirement  to
appoint  a  tax  representative)  and  as  regards  the  application  of  the  13th  VAT
Directive.

An exemption from import duty is provided for a limited quantity of fuel contained
in vehicles and of lubricants. Similarly, spare parts may be imported free of import
duties. 

12. 

Controls

The Contracting Parties are responsible for the control of transport operations in their
territory.  It  is  their  responsibility  to  check  that  the  control  documents  are  properly
completed  and  used  in  accordance  with  the  services  carried  out.  The  Contracting
Parties  must  also  lay  down  a  system  of  penalties  for  breaching  the  terms  of  the
Agreement, which may include temporary exclusion from their territory. 

13. 

Management of the Agreement

A Joint Committee made up of representatives of the Contracting Parties is provided
for  in  the  Agreement.  Its  task  includes  ensuring  the  proper  implementation  of  the
Agreement;  providing  information  for  the  Contracting  Parties;  adapting  the  control
documents to any new measures adopted within the Community; seeking to resolve
any dispute which may arise over the implementation of the Agreement. 

14. 

New accessions

The  Interbus  Agreement  provides that CEMT member  countries may  accede  to  the
Agreement after its entry into force. 

15. 

Entry into force

- The agreement shall enter into force for the contracting parties which have approved
or ratified it, when four contracting parties including the Community have approved
or  ratified  it,  on  the  first  day  of  the  third  month  following  the  date  on  which  the
fourth  instrument  of  approval  or  ratification  is  deposited,  or  on  the  first  day  of  the
sixth month on condition, in the latter case, that a declaration to this effect is made at
the time of the ratification of the agreement. 

- The agreement shall  enter into force, for each  contracting  party which  approves  or
ratifies it after the entry into force provided for in paragraph 1, on the first day of the
third month following the date on which the contracting party concerned deposits its
instrument of approval or ratification. 

16. 

Duration

4

The agreement shall be concluded for a period of five years, dating from its entry into
force. 

3.

17.

CONCLUSION

The Commission considers that, after the signature of the agreement, it is necessary
to  initiate  the  procedure  with  a  view  to  its  conclusion.  Consequently,  the
Commission is hereby submitting to the Council this proposal for a decision on the
conclusion of the INTERBUS Agreement on the international occasional carriage of
passengers by coach and bus. 

5

2001/0242 (AVC)

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION

on the conclusion of the INTERBUS Agreement on the international occasional carriage
of passengers by coach and bus

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular
Article 71(1) in conjunction with the first sentence of the first indent of Article 300(2) and the
second indent of Article 300(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,2

Having regard to the assent of the European Parliament 3

Whereas:

(1) 

(2)

(3)

(4)

In  accordance  with  the  Council  mandate  of  7  December  1995,  the  Commission
negotiated  a  European  agreement  on  the  international  occasional  carriage  of
passengers by coach  and bus with Bosnia  Herzegovina,  Bulgaria, Croatia, the  Czech
Republic,  Estonia,  Hungary,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Moldavia,  Poland,  Romania,  the
Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Turkey.

On  22  June  2001,  in  accordance  with  the  Council  Decision  of  18  June  2001,  the
INTERBUS agreement on the international occasional carriage of passengers by coach
and bus was signed on behalf of the Community.

On 30 June 2001, the agreement had been signed by the European Community and the
following  13  countries:  Bosnia  Herzegovina,  Bulgaria,  Croatia,  the  Czech  Republic,
Hungary,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Moldavia,  Poland,  Romania,  the  Slovak  Republic,
Slovenia and Turkey. 

The  conclusion  of  the  INTERBUS  Agreement  will  help  to  develop  transport  links
between  the  contracting  parties;  for  it  to  enter  into  force,  after  signature,  four
contracting parties, including the Community, must have approved or ratified it. 

(5)

The INTERBUS agreement should be approved.

2

3

OJ C , , p. .
OJ C , , p. .

6

                                                
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The  conclusion  of  the  INTERBUS  Agreement  on  the  international  occasional  carriage  of
passengers by coach and bus is hereby approved on behalf of the Community. 

The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The President of the Council is authorised to designate the person empowered to deposit, on
behalf of the Community, the act of approval provided for in Article 27 of the agreement in
order to express the Community's consent to be bound..

Article 3

This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. 

Done at Brussels, […]

For the Council
The President

7

ANNEX

AGREEMENT 

ON THE INTERNATIONAL OCCASIONAL CARRIAGE 

OF PASSENGERS BY COACH AND BUS 

(INTERBUS AGREEMENT)

8

THE CONTRACTING PARTIES:

HAVING  REGARD  to  the  desire  to  promote  the  development  of  international  transport  in
Europe and especially to facilitate the organisation and operation thereof;

HAVING  REGARD  to  the  desire  to  facilitate  tourism  and  cultural  exchange  between  the
Contracting Parties;

WHEREAS the Agreement on the international Carriage of Passengers by Road by means of
Occasional Coach and Bus Services (ASOR), signed in Dublin on the 26 May 1982 does not
provide for any scope for the accession of new Parties;

WHEREAS the experience and the liberalisation achieved by this latter Agreement should be
maintained;

WHEREAS  it  is  desirable  to  provide  for  harmonised  liberalisation  of  certain  international
occasional services by coach and bus and the transit operations thereof;

WHEREAS  it  is  desirable  to  provide  for  certain  harmonised  rules  of  procedure  for  non-
liberalised international occasional services, that are thus still subject to authorisation;

WHEREAS  it  is  necessary  to  provide  for  a  high  degree  of  harmonisation  of  the  technical
conditions  applying  to  buses  and  coaches  carrying  out  international  occasional  services
between  Contracting  Parties  in  order  to  improve  road  safety  and  protection  of  the
environment;

9

WHEREAS  it  is  necessary  that  Contracting  Parties  should  apply  uniform  measures
concerning  the  work  of  the  crews  of  buses  and  coaches  engaged  in  international  road
transport;

WHEREAS  it  is  desirable  to  provide  for  harmonisation  of  the  conditions  for  access  to  the
occupation of road passenger transport operator;

WHEREAS  the  principle  of  non-discrimination  on  grounds  of  nationality  or  the  place  of
establishment of the transport operator,  and of the origin or destination of the  bus  or coach,
should  be  considered  to  be  a  basic  condition  applying  to  the  provision  of  international
transport services;

WHEREAS it is necessary to provide for uniform models for transport documents such as the
control  document  for  liberalised  occasional  services  and  also  the  authorisation  and  the
application  form  for  non-liberalised  services  in  order  to  facilitate  and  simplify  inspection
procedures;

WHEREAS it is necessary to provide for certain harmonised measures on the enforcement of
the  Agreement,  especially  as  far  as  control  procedures,  penalties  and  mutual  assistance  are
concerned;

WHEREAS  it  is  appropriate  to  establish  certain  procedures  for  the  management  of  the
Agreement in order to ensure proper enforcement and to permit some technical adaptation of
the Annexes;

WHEREAS the Agreement should be open for accession to future Members of the European
Conference of Ministers of Transport and to certain other European countries;

HAVE  DECIDED  to  establish  uniform  rules  for  the  international  occasional  carriage  of
passengers by coach and bus,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

10

SECTION I

SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

ARTICLE 1

Scope

1.

(a)

This Agreement shall apply:

to  the  international  carriage  of  passengers,  of  any  nationality,  by  road  by  means  of
occasional services:

-

-

-

between the territories of two Contracting Parties, or starting and finishing on the
territory  of  the  same  Contracting  Party  and,  should  the  need  arise  during  such
services,  in  transit  through  the  territory  of  another  Contracting  Party  or  through
the territory of a non-Contracting State;

carried out by transport operators for hire or reward established in a Contracting
Party  in  accordance  with  its  law  and  holding  a  licence  to  undertake  carriage  by
means of international occasional services by coach and bus;

using  buses  and  coaches  registered  in  the  Contracting  Party  where  the  transport
operator is established.

(b)

to unladen journeys of the buses and coaches concerned with these services.

11

None  of  the  provisions  of  this  Agreement  may  be  interpreted  as  providing  the
2.
possibility  to  operate  national  occasional  services  in  the  territory  of  a  Contracting  Party  by
operators established in another Contracting Party.

The use of buses and coaches designed to carry passengers for the transport of goods

3.
for commercial purposes shall be excluded from the scope of this Agreement.

4.

This Agreement does not concern own-account occasional services.

ARTICLE 2

Non-discrimination

Contracting Parties shall ensure that the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of the
nationality  or  the  place  of  establishment  of  the  transport  operator,  and  of  the  origin  or
destination  of  the  bus  or  coach,  is  applied,  in  particular  with  regard  to  fiscal  provisions  as
established in Section VI as well as control and penalties as established in Section IX.

12

ARTICLE 3

Definitions

For the purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

1.

2.

3.

4.

"Buses  and  coaches"  are  vehicles  which,  by  virtue  of  their  construction  and  their
equipment,  are  suitable  for  carrying more than  nine  persons,  including  the  driver,  and
are intended for that purpose.

"International  occasional  services"  are  services  between  the  territory  of  at  least  two
Contracting  Parties  falling  within  neither  the  definition  of  regular  services  or  special
regular services nor the definition of a shuttle service.  Such services may be operated
with some degree of frequency without thereby ceasing to be occasional services. 

"Regular Services" are services which provide for the carriage of passengers according
to a specified frequency and along specified  routes, whereby passengers may  be taken
up or set down at predetermined stopping points.  Regular services can be subject to the
obligation to respect previously established timetables and tariffs.

"Special Regular  Services"  are services, by  whomsoever organised,  which  provide  for
the carriage of specified categories of passengers to the exclusion of other passengers,
insofar as such services are operated under the conditions specified in point 3.  Special
regular services shall include:

- the carriage of workers between home and work;

- the carriage of school pupils and students to and from the educational institution.

13

The  fact  that  a  special  regular  service  may  be  varied  according  to  the  needs  of  users
shall not affect its classification as a regular service.

5.       (1)

"Shuttle services" are services whereby, by means of repeated outward and return
journeys, previously formed groups of passengers are carried from a single place
of departure to a single destination.  Each group, consisting of the passengers who
made  the  outward  journey,  shall  be  carried  back  to  the  place  of  departure  on  a
later journey by the same transport operator.

Place  of  departure  and  destination  shall  mean,  respectively,  the  place  where  the
journey begins and the place where the journey ends, together with, in each case,
the surrounding localities within a radius of 50 km.

(2)

In the course of shuttle services, no passenger may be taken up or set down during
the journey.

(3) The first return journey and the last outward journey in a series of shuttles shall be

made unladen.

(4) However, the classification of a transport operation as a shuttle  service  shall not
be affected by the fact that, with the agreement of the competent authorities in the
Contracting Party or Parties concerned:

-

passengers,  notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  subparagraph  1,  make  the
return journey with another group or another transport operator;

14

-

-

passengers, notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph 2, are taken up
or set down along the way;

the first outward journey and the last return journey of the series of shuttles
are, notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph 3, made unladen.

6.

"Contracting  Parties"  are  those  signatories  that  have  consented  to  be  bound  by  this
Agreement and for which this Agreement is in force.

This Agreement applies to those territories where the Treaty establishing the European
Community  is  applied  and  under  the  conditions  laid  down  in  that  Treaty  and  to
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA,  BULGARIA,  CROATIA,  THE  CZECH  REPUBLIC,
ESTONIA,  HUNGARY,  LATVIA,  LITHUANIA,  MOLDOVA,  POLAND,
ROMANIA,  SLOVAKIA,  SLOVENIA  and  TURKEY,  as  far  as  they  have  concluded
this Agreement.

7.

8.

"Competent Authorities" are those authorities designated  by  the Member States of the
Community  and  by  the  other  Contracting  Parties  to  carry  out  the  tasks  set  out  in
Sections V, VI, VII, VIII and IX of this Agreement.

"Transit" means the part of a transport operation through the territory of a Contracting
Party without passengers being picked up or set down.

15

CONDITIONS APPLYING TO ROAD PASSENGER TRANSPORT OPERATORS

SECTION II

ARTICLE 4

Contracting  Parties  which  have  not  yet  done  so  shall  apply  provisions  equivalent  to

1.
those established by the European Community Directive referred to in Annex 1.

2.
Concerning the condition on the appropriate financial standing referred to in Article 3,
paragraph  3  of  such  Directive,  Contracting  Parties  may  apply  a  minimum  available  capital
and reserves lower than the amount established in point (c) of the said paragraph (3), up to the
date  of  1 January 2003  or  even  to  1 January 2005  under  condition  in  the  latter  case  that  a
corresponding  declaration  be  made  at  the  time  of the ratification  of the Agreement, without
prejudice  to  the  provisions  included  in  the  Europe  Agreement  establishing  an  association
between the European Communities and their Member States and certain Contracting Parties
of the present Agreement.

SECTION III

TECHNICAL CONDITIONS APPLYING TO VEHICLES

ARTICLE 5

The buses and coaches used to carry out the international occasional services covered by this
Agreement shall comply with the technical standards laid down in Annex 2.

16

SECTION IV

ACCESS TO THE MARKET

ARTICLE 6 

Liberalised occasional services

The  following  occasional  services  shall  be  exempted  from  authorisation  on  the  territory  of
any Contracting Party other than that in which the transport operator is established:

1.

2.

Closed-door tours, that is to say services whereby the same bus or coach is used to carry
the  same  group  of  passengers  throughout  the  journey  and  to  bring  them  back  to  the
place of departure.  The place of departure is in the territory of the Contracting Party in
which the transport operator is established.

Services which make the outward  journey  laden  and  the  return  journey  unladen.    The
place  of  departure  is  in  the  terrritory  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  the  transport
operator is established.

17

3.

Services during which the outward journey is made unladen and all the passengers are
taken up in the same place, provided that one of the following conditions is met:

(a) 

passengers  constitute  groups,  on  the  territory  of  a  non-Contracting  Party  or  of  a
Contracting Party other than that in which the transport operator is established or
that where the passengers are taken up, that have been formed under contracts of
carriage  made before  their  arrival  in the territory of  the  latter  Contracting  Party.
Passengers  are  carried  on  the  territory  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  the
transport operator is established;

(b)  passengers  have  been  previously  brought,  by  the  same  transport  operator  in  the
circumstances  provided  for  under  point  2,  into  the  territory  of  the  Contracting
Party  where  they  are  taken  up  again  and  carried  into  the  territory  of  the
Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established;

(c) 

passengers  have  been  invited  to  travel  into  the  territory  of  another  Contracting
Party, the cost of transport being borne by the person issuing the invitation.  Such
passengers  must  constitute  a  homogeneous  group,  which  has  not  been  formed
solely with a view to undertaking that particular journey and which is brought into
the  territory  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  the  transport  operator  is
established.

The following shall also be exempted from authorisation:

4.

Transit  operations  through  the  territory  of  Contracting  Parties  in  conjunction  with
occasional services that are exempted from authorisation.

18

5.

Unladen  buses  and  coaches  to  be  used  exclusively  for  the  replacement  of  a  bus  or  a
coach damaged or broken down, while performing an international service covered by
this Agreement.

For services provided by transport operators established within the European Community, the
points  of  departure  and/or  destination  of  the  services  can  be  in  any  Member  State  of  the
European  Community,  independently  of  the  Member  State  in  which  the  bus  or  coach  is
registered or the Member State in which the transport operator is established.

ARTICLE 7

Non-liberalised occasional services

Occasional  services  other  than  those  referred  to  in  Article  6  shall  be  subject  to

1.
authorisation in accordance with Article 15.

2.
For  services  provided  by  transport  operators  established  within  the  European
Community, the points of departure and/or destination of the services can be in any Member
State  of  the  European  Community,  independently  of  the  Member  State  in  which  the  bus  or
coach is registered or the Member State in which the transport operator is established.

19

SECTION V

SOCIAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 8

The  Contracting  Parties  to  this  Agreement  which  have  not  yet  done  so  shall  accede  to  the
European  Agreement  concerning  the  work  of  Crews  of  Vehicles  engaged  in  International
Road Transport (AETR) of 1 July 1970, as subsequently amended, or shall apply Community
Regulations 3820/85 and 3821/85 as in force at the entry into force of this Agreement.

SECTION VI

CUSTOM AND FISCAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 9

1.
Buses  and  coaches  that  are  engaged  in  transport  operations  in  accordance  with  this
Agreement shall be exempted from all vehicle taxes and charges levied on the circulation or
possession  of  vehicles  as  well  as  from  all  special  taxes  or  charges  levied  on  transport
operations in the territory of the other Contracting Parties. 

Buses and coaches shall not be exempted from payment of taxes and charges on motor fuel,
Value  Added  Tax  on  transport  services,  road  tolls  and  user  charges  levied  on  the  use  of
infrastructure.

20

Contracting Parties shall ensure that tolls and any other form of user charges may not
2.
be  imposed  at  the  same  time  for  the  use  of  a  single  road  section.    However,  Contracting
Parties  may  also  impose  tolls  on  networks  where  user  charges  are  levied,  for  the  use  of
bridges, tunnels and mountain passes.

3.
The  fuel  for  buses  and  coaches,  contained  in  the  fuel  tanks  established  by  the
manufacturer  for  this  purpose,  and  in  any  case  not  more  than  600  litres,  as  well  as  the
lubricants  contained  in  buses  and  coaches  for  the  sole  purpose  of  their  operation,  shall  be
exempted from import duties and any other taxes and payments imposed in other Contracting
Parties.

The Joint Committee established in Article 23 will draft a list of the taxes concerning
4.
road transport of passengers by bus and coach levied in each Contracting Party.  This list will
indicate  the  taxes  falling  under  the  provisions  of  paragraph  1,  first  subparagraph,  of  this
Article that can only be levied in the Contracting Party of registration of the vehicle.  This list
will also indicate the taxes falling under the provisions of paragraph 1, second subparagraph,
of this Article  that may be levied  in  Contracting Parties other  than  the  Contracting Party of
registration  of  the  vehicle.    Contracting  Parties  which  replace  any  tax  included  in  the  lists
referred to with another tax of the same or a different kind shall notify the Joint Committee in
order to make the necessary amendments.

5.
Spare  parts  and  tools  imported  for  the  repair  of  a  damaged  bus  or  coach  while
performing an international road transport operation shall be exempted from customs duty and
from all taxes and charges at the time of importation into the territory of the other Contracting
Party  under  the  conditions  laid  down  in  its  provisions  concerning  temporary  admission  of
such goods.  The spare parts which are replaced should be re-exported or destroyed under the
control of the competent customs authority of the other Contracting Party. 

21

SECTION VII

CONTROL DOCUMENTS FOR OCCASIONAL SERVICES
EXEMPTED FROM AUTHORISATION

ARTICLE 10

The provision of services referred to in Article 6 shall be carried out under cover of a control
document  issued  by  the  competent  authorities  or  by  any  duly  authorised  agency  of  the
Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established.

ARTICLE 11

1.
The  control  document  shall  consist  of  detachable  passenger  waybills  in  duplicate  in
books  of 25.    The  control  document  shall  conform  to  the  model  shown  in  Annex  3  to  this
Agreement. 

Each book and its component passenger waybills shall bear a number.  The passenger

2.
waybills shall also be numbered consecutively, running from 1 to 25.

3.
The  wording  on  the  cover  of  the  book  and  that  on  the  passenger  waybills  shall  be
printed in the official language or several official languages of the Contracting Party in which
the transport operator is established.

22

ARTICLE 12

The  book  referred  to  in  Article  11  shall  be  made  out  in  the  name  of  the  transport

1.
operator; it shall not be transferable.

The top copy of the passenger waybill shall be kept on the bus or coach throughout the

2.
journey to which it refers.

The transport operator shall be responsible for seeing that passenger waybills are duly

3.
and correctly completed.

ARTICLE 13

The  passenger  waybill  shall  be  completed  in  duplicate  by  the  transport  operator  for

1.
each journey before the start of the journey.

2.
For the purpose of providing the names of passengers, the transport operator may use
a  previously  completed  list  on  a  separate  sheet,  which  shall  be  annexed  to  the  passenger
waybill.    The  transport  operator's  stamp  or,  where  appropriate,  the  transport  operator's
signature or that of the driver of the bus or coach shall be placed both on the list and on the
passenger waybill.

For the services involving an outward unladen journey referred to in Article 6(3), the
3.
list  of  passengers  may  be  completed  as  provided  for  in  paragraph  2  at  the  time  when  the
passengers are taken up.

23

ARTICLE 14

The  competent  authorities  of  two  or  more  Contracting  Parties  may  agree  that  the  list  of
passengers need not be drawn up.  In that case, the number of passengers must be shown on
the control document.

The Joint Committee established in Article 23 shall be informed of these agreements. 

SECTION VIII

AUTHORISATION FOR NON-LIBERALISED OCCASIONAL SERVICES

ARTICLE 15

An authorisation for each occasional service which has not been liberalised under the
1.
provisions of Article 6 shall be issued, in mutual agreement by the competent authorities of
the  Contracting  Parties  where  passengers  are  picked  up  or  set  down  as  well  as  by  the
competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Parties,  crossed  in  transit.    When  the  point  of
departure or destination is situated in a Member State of the European Community, the transit
through other Member States of this Community will not be subject to authorisation.

2.

The authorisation shall conform to the model laid down in Annex 5.

24

ARTICLE 16

Application for authorisation

1.
The  application  for  authorisation  shall  be  submitted  by  the  transport  operator  to  the
competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Party  on  whose  territory  the  point  of  departure  is
situated.

Applications shall conform to the model laid down in Annex 4.

2.
Transport  operators  shall  fill  in  the  application  form  and  attach  evidence  that  the
applicant  is  licensed  to  perform  carriage  by  means  of  international  occasional  services  by
coach and bus referred to in Article 1(1)(a), second indent.

3.
The  competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  whose  territory  the  place  of
departure is situated shall examine the application for authorisation of the service concerned
and, in the case of its approval, shall forward it to the competent authorities of the Contracting
Party(ies)  of  destination  as  well  as  the  competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Parties  in
transit. 

4.
As a derogation from Article 15 paragraph 1, Contracting Parties whose territories are
crossed  in  transit  may  decide  that  their  agreement  is  no  longer  necessary  for  services
envisaged in this Section.  In this case, the Joint Committee established in Article 23 shall be
informed of this decision.

5.
The  competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Party(ies)  whose  agreement  has  been
requested  shall  issue  the  authorisation  within  one  month,  without  discrimination  as  to  the
nationality  or  place  of  establishment  of  the  transport  operator.    If  these  authorities  do  not
agree  on  the  terms  of  the  authorisation  they  shall  inform  the  competent  authorities  of  the
Contracting Party(ies) concerned of the relevant reasons.

25

ARTICLE 17

The  competent  authorities  of  two  or  more  Contracting  Parties  may  agree  to  simplify  the
authorisation  procedure,  the  model  of  application  for  authorisation  and  the  model  of
authorisation for the occasional services carried out between these Contracting Parties.  The
Joint Committee established in Article 23 shall be informed of these agreements. 

SECTION IX

CONTROLS, PENALTIES AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE

ARTICLE 18

The control documents referred to in Article 10 and the authorisations referred to in Article 15
shall be carried on the  bus  or  coach  and  shall  be  presented  at  the  request  of  any  authorised
inspecting officer.

ARTICLE 19

The  competent  authorities  in  the  Contracting  Parties  shall  ensure  that  transport  operators
comply with the provisions of this Agreement.

26

ARTICLE 20

A certified true copy of the licence to perform carriage by means of international occasional
services by  bus  and  coach referred to in Article 1(1)(a), second indent, shall be kept on the
bus or coach and shall be presented at the request of any authorised inspecting officer.

The Joint Committee established in Article 23 shall be informed about the models of such a
document issued by the competent authorities of the Contracting Parties.

ARTICLE 21

The competent authorities of the Contracting Parties shall lay down a system of penalties for
breaching this Agreement.   The penalties thus provided  for  shall  be  effective,  proportionate
and dissuasive. 

ARTICLE 22

Where  serious  or  repeated  infringements  of  regulations  concerning  road  transport,
1.
especially those concerning driving and resting time and road safety, have been committed by
non-resident transport operators and might lead to withdrawal of the licence to practise as  a
road  passenger  transport  operator,  the  competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Party
concerned  shall  provide  the  competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  such  a
transport  operator  is  established  with  all  of  the  information  in  their  possession  concerning
those infringements and the penalties that they have imposed.

27

The  competent  authorities  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  whose  territory  the  serious  or
2.
repeated  infringement  of  regulations  concerning  road  transport,  especially  those  concerning
driving and resting time and road safety have occurred, may temporarily deny access for the
transport operator concerned to the territory of this contracting party.

As far as the European Community is concerned, the competent authority of a Member State
may only temporarily deny access to the territory of that Member State.

Competent authorities of the Contracting Party of establishment of the transport operator and
the Joint Committee established in Article 23 shall be informed of such measures.

Where  serious  or  repeated  infringements  of  regulations  concerning  road  transport,
3.
especially those concerning driving and resting time and road safety, have been committed by
a transport operator, the competent authorities of the Contracting Parties where the transport
operator  is  established  shall  take  the  appropriate  measures  to  avoid  repetition  of  those
infringements; these measures may include the suspension or the withdrawal of the licence to
practise as a road passenger transport operator.  The Joint Committee established in Article 23
shall be informed of such measures.

Contracting Parties shall guarantee the right of the transport operator to appeal against

4.
the sanctions imposed. 

28

SECTION X

THE JOINT COMMITTEE

ARTICLE 23

In order to facilitate the management of this Agreement, a Joint Committee is hereby

1.
established.  This Committee shall be made up of representatives of the Contracting Parties.

The Joint Committee shall meet for the first time within six months of the entry into

2.
force of this Agreement. 

3.

4.

The Joint Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure.

The Joint Committee shall meet at the request of at least one Contracting Party.

5.
The  Joint  Committee  may  adopt  decisions  only  when  two  thirds  of  the  Contracting
Parties, including the European Community, are represented in the Joint Committee meetings. 

6.
In  so  far  as  the  Joint  Committee  is  required  to  take  decisions,  unanimity  of  the
Contracting  Parties  represented  shall  be  required.    In  the  event  that  unanimity  cannot  be
achieved, the competent authorities concerned shall, following a request by one or more of the
Contracting Parties concerned, meet for consultation within a period of six weeks.

29

ARTICLE 24

1.
The  Joint  Committee  shall  ensure  proper  implementation  of  this  Agreement.    The
Committee will be informed of any measure adopted or to be adopted in order to implement
the provisions of this Agreement. 

2.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

The Joint Committee shall in particular:

on  the  basis  of  the  information  provided  by  the  Contracting  Parties,  draw  up  a  list  of
competent authorities of the Contracting Parties responsible for the tasks referred to in
Sections V, VI VII, VIII and IX of this Agreement;

amend or adapt the control documents and other models of documents established in the
Annexes to this Agreement;

amend or adapt the Annexes concerning the technical standards applying to buses and
coaches,  as  well  as  Annex  1  regarding  the  conditions  applying  to  road  passenger
transport operators referred to in Article 4, in order to incorporate future measures taken
within the European Community;

on the basis of the information provided by the Contracting parties, draw up a list, for
information,  of  all  customs  duties,  taxes  and  charges  referred  to  in  Article  9,
paragraphs 4 and 5;

(e)

amend or adapt the requirements concerning the social provisions referred to in Article
8 in order to incorporate future measures taken within the European Community;

30

(f)

(g)

resolve any dispute which may arise over the implementation and interpretation of this
Agreement;

recommend  further  steps  towards  the  liberalisation  of  those  occasional  services  still
subject to authorisation.

3.
The  Contracting  Parties  shall  take  the  measures  necessary  to  enforce  any  decisions
adopted  by  the  Joint  Committee  in  accordance,  where  necessary,  with  their  own  internal
procedures.

4.
If an agreement cannot be reached to settle a dispute in accordance with paragraph 2,
point (f)  of  this  Article,  the  Contracting  Parties  concerned  may  submit  the  case  to  an
arbitration  panel.    Each  Contracting  Party  concerned  shall  appoint  an  arbitrator.    The  Joint
Committee itself shall also appoint an arbitrator.

The arbitrators' decisions shall be taken by majority vote. 

Contracting  Parties  involved  in  the  dispute  shall  take  the  steps  required  to  implement  the
arbitrators' decisions.

31

SECTION XI

GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 25 

Bilateral Agreements

1.
The  provisions  of  this  Agreement  shall  replace  those  relevant  provisions  of  the
agreements  concluded  between  Contracting  Parties.    As  far  as  the  European  Community  is
concerned, this provision applies to agreements concluded between any Member State and a
Contracting Party.

2.
Contracting  Parties  other  than  the  European  Community  may  agree  not  to  apply
Article  5  and  Annex 2  of  this  Agreement  and  apply  other  technical  standards  to  buses  and
coaches executing occasional services between these Contracting Parties including transit of
their territories.

Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  Article  6  of  Annex  2,  the  provisions  of  this
3.
Agreement shall replace those relevant  provisions of the  agreements concluded  between the
Member States of the European Community and other Contracting Parties.

However,  the  provisions  granting  an  exemption  from  authorisation  contained  in  existing
bilateral  agreements  between  Member  States  of  the  European  Community  and  other
Contracting  Parties  for  occasional  services  mentioned  in  Article  7  may  be  maintained  and
renewed.   In  that  case, the  Contracting  Parties  concerned  will  immediately  inform  the  Joint
Committee established in Article 23. 

32

ARTICLE 26

Signature

This Agreement shall be open for signature at Brussels from 14 April 2000 to 30 June 2001,
at  the  General  Secretariat  of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  which  shall  act  as  the
depository of the Agreement.

ARTICLE 27

Ratification or Approval and Depository of the Agreement

This Agreement shall be approved or ratified by the signatories in accordance with their own
procedures.    The  instruments  of  approval  or  ratification  shall  be  deposited  by  Contracting
Parties with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, which shall notify
all other signatories.

ARTICLE 28

Entry into force

This Agreement shall enter into force for the Contracting Parties that have approved or
1.
ratified it, when four Contracting Parties including the European Community have approved
or  ratified  it,  on  the  first  day  of  the  third  month  following  the  date  on  which  the  fourth
instrument of approval or ratification is deposited, or even on the first day of the sixth month,
under condition in the latter case that a corresponding declaration be made at the time of the
ratification of the Agreement.

33

This  Agreement  shall  enter  into  force,  for  each  Contracting  Party  that  approves  or
2.
ratifies it after the entry into force provided for  in  paragraph  1, on the  first  day  of  the third
month  following  the  date  on  which  the  Contracting  Party  concerned  has  deposited  its
instrument of approval or ratification.

ARTICLE 29

Duration of the Agreement - evaluation of the functioning of the Agreement

This  Agreement  shall  be  concluded  for  a  period  of  five  years,  dating  from  its  entry

1.
into force.

2.
The duration of this Agreement shall be automatically extended for successive periods
of five years among those Contracting Parties who do not express their wish not to do so.  In
the  latter  case  the  Contracting  Party  concerned  shall  notify  the  Depository  of  its  intention
according to Article 31.

Before  the  end  of  each  period  of  five  years,  the  Joint  Committee  shall  evaluate  the

3.
functioning of this Agreement.

ARTICLE 30

Accession

1.
After  its  entry  into  force,  this  Agreement  shall  be  open  to  accession  by  countries
which are full members of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT).  In
the event of the accession to this Agreement by countries that are members of the Agreement
on  the  European  Economic  Area,  this  Agreement  shall  not  apply  among  the  Contracting
Parties of the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

34

This Agreement  shall also be  open  to  accession  by  the  Republic  of  San  Marino,  the

2.
Principality of Andorra and the Principality of Monaco.

3.
For  each  State  acceding  to  this  Agreement  after  the  entry  into  force  provided  for  in
Article  28,  the  Agreement  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  first  day  of  the  third  month  after
deposit by such State of its instrument of accession.

Each State acceding to this Agreement after the entry into force provided for in Article
4.
28 may be granted a period of three years maximum for the adoption of provisions equivalent
to the directive(s) referred to in Annex 1.  The Joint Committee shall be informed of any such
measures adopted.

ARTICLE 31

Denunciation

Each Contracting Party may, for its part, denounce this Agreement with one year's notice by
simultaneous  notification  of  the  other  Contracting  Parties  through  the  Depository  of  the
Agreement.  The Joint Committee shall also be informed of the reasons of the denunciation.
However,  the  Agreement  cannot  be  denounced  during  the  first  four  years  which  follow  its
entry into force, as provided for under Article 28.

If  the  Agreement  is  denounced  by  one  or  more  Contracting  Parties,  and  the  number  of
Contracting Parties falls below the number agreed for the original entry into force as provided
for in Article 28, the Agreement shall remain in force unless the Joint Committee, comprising
the remaining Contracting Parties, decides otherwise.

35

ARTICLE 32

Termination

A  Contracting  Party  that  has  acceded  to  the  European  Union  shall  cease  to  be  treated  as  a
Contracting Party from the date of such accession.

ARTICLE 33

Annexes

Annexes to this Agreement shall constitute an integral part thereof.

ARTICLE 34

Languages

This Agreement,  drawn  up  in  the  English,  French  and  German  languages,  these  texts  being
authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the General Secretariat of the Council of the
European Union, which shall transmit a certified true copy to each of the Contracting Parties.

Each  Contracting  Party  shall  ensure  a  proper  translation  of  this  Agreement  in  its  official
language or official languages.  A copy of this translation shall be deposited in the archives of
the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

A copy of all translations of the Agreement and the Annexes will be sent by the Depository to
all Contracting Parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned plenipotentiaries have signed this Agreement.

36

ANNEX 1

The conditions applying to road passenger transport operators
referred to in Article 4

ANNEX

The European Community Directive referred to in Article 4 is the following:

Council Directive 96/26/EC of 29 April 1996 on admission to the occupation of road haulage operator
and  road  passenger  transport  operator  and  mutual  recognition  of  diplomas,  certificates  and  other
evidence  of  formal  qualification  intended  to  facilitate  for  these  operators  the  right  to  freedom  of
establishment  in  national  and  international  transport  operations  (Official  Journal  of  the  European
Communities  L  124,  23.5.1996,  p.  1)  as  last  amended  by  Council  Directive  98/76/EC  of
1 October 1998 (Official Journal of the European Communities L 277, 14.10.1998 p.17).

37

ANNEX 2

Technical standards applying to buses and coaches

ARTICLE 1

As from the date of entry into force for each Contracting Party of the INTERBUS Agreement, buses
and coaches carrying out international occasional carriage of passengers shall comply with the rules
established in the following legal texts:

(a)  Council  Directive  96/96/EC  of  20  December  1996  on  the  approximation  of  the  laws  of  the
Member States relating to roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers (Official
Journal of the European Communities L 46, 17.2.1997, p.1).

(b)  Council  Directive  92/6/EEC  of  10  February  1992  on  the  installation  and  use  of  speed
limitation devices for certain categories of motor vehicles in the Community (Official Journal
of the European Communities L 57, 2.3.1992, p.27).

(c)  Council Directive 96/53/EC of 25 July 1996 laying down for certain road vehicles circulating
within  the  Community  the  maximum  authorised  dimensions  in  national  and  international
traffic  and  the  maximum  authorised  weights  in  international  traffic  (Official  Journal  of  the
European Communities L 235, 17.9.1996, p.59).

(d)  Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 of 20 December 1985 on recording equipment in road
transport  (Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities  L  370  of  31.12.1985,  p.8)  as  last
amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2135/98 of 24.9.1998 (Official Journal of the
European  Commities  L  274,  9.10.1998,  p.1)  or  equivalent  rules  established  by  AETR
Agreement including its Protocols.

38

ARTICLE 2

As  from  the  date  of  entry  into  force  of  the  INTERBUS  Agreement  for  each  Contracting  Party,
Contracting  Parties  other  than  the  European  Community  shall  comply,  for  buses  and  coaches
carrying out international occasional carriage of passengers, with the technical requirements of the
following  Community  Directives  or  equivalent  UN-ECE  Regulations  on  uniform  provisions
concerning the type-approval for new vehicles and their equipment.

Item

Exhaust emission

UN-ECE
Regulation / last
amendment

49/01
49/02, approval A
49/02, approval B

Smoke
Noise emission

24/03
51/02

Brake system

13/09

Tyres

Light installation

54

48/01

EC-Directive
(original-latest)

-88/77
-91/542 step 1
-91/542 step 2
-96/1
72/306
-70/157
-84/424
-92/97
-71/320
-88/194
-91/422
-98/12
92/23

-76/756
-91/663
-97/28

Date of
implementation
within the EU

01/10/1993
01/10/1996

02/08/1972
01/10/1989
01/10/1996

01/10/1991
01/10/1994

01/01/1993

01/01/1994

39

The buses and coaches carrying out the following services:

ARTICLE 3

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

services from any Member State of the Community (except Greece) to any Contracting Party
of INTERBUS; 

services from any Contracting Party of INTERBUS to any Member State of the Community
(except Greece);

services  from  any  Contracting  Party  of  INTERBUS  to  Greece  in  transit  through  any  other
Member  State  of  the  Community  carried  out  by  transport  operators  established  in  any
Contracting Party of INTERBUS;

shall be subject to the following rules:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Buses and coaches first registered before 1.1.1980 cannot be used for the occasional services
covered by the INTERBUS Agreement.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1980  and  31.12.1981  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2000.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1982  and  31.12.1983  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2001.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1984  and  31.12.1985  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2002.

40

5.

6.

7.

8.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1986  and  31.12.1987  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2003.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1988  and  31.12.1989  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2004.

Only  buses  and  coaches  first  registered  as  from  1.1.1990  (EURO  0)  can  be  used  from
1.1.2005. 

Only  buses  and  coaches  first  registered  as  from  1.10.1993  (EURO  1)  can  be  used  from
1.1.2007.

ARTICLE 4

Buses and coaches carrying out the following services:

(a) 

services from Greece to Contracting Parties of INTERBUS;

(b) 

services from Contracting Parties of INTERBUS to Greece;

shall be subject to the following rules:

1.

2.

Buses and coaches first registered before 1.1.1980 cannot be used for the occasional services
covered by the INTERBUS Agreement.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1980  and  31.12.1981  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2000.

41

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1982  and  31.12.1983  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2001.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1984  and  31.12.1985  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2003.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1986  and  31.12.1987  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2005.

Buses  and  coaches  first  registered  between  1.1.1988  and  31.12.1989  can  be  used  only  until
31.12.2007.

Only  buses  and  coaches  first  registered  as  from  1.1.1990  (EURO  0)  can  be  used  from
1.1.2008. 

Only  buses  and  coaches  first  registered  as  from  1.10.1993  (EURO  1)  can  be  used  from
1.1.2010.

ARTICLE 5

Community buses and coaches used in bilateral traffic between Greece and other Member States of
the Community in transit through Contracting Parties of the INTERBUS Agreement are not covered
by present rules on technical standards, but are subject to European Community rules.

42

ARTICLE 6

1.
The rules on technical standards included in bilateral agreements or arrangements between
Member  States  of  the  Community  and  Contracting  Parties  of  the  INTERBUS  Agreement,
concerning  bilateral  traffic  and  transit,  which  are  stricter  than  the  rules  established  in  this
Agreement may be applied until 31 December 2006.

2.
Member  States  of  the  Community  and  Contracting  Parties  of  the  INTERBUS  Agreement
concerned  shall  inform  the  Joint  Committee  established  in  Article  23  of  the  Agreement  on  the
contents of such bilateral agreements or arrangements.

ARTICLE 7

1.
A  document  proving  the  date  of  the  vehicle's  first  registration  shall  be  kept  on  board  and
shall  be  presented  at  the  request  of  any  authorised  inspecting  officer.    For  the  purpose  of  this
Annex,  the  terms  "date  of  vehicle's  first  registration"  shall  refer  to  the  first  registration  of  the
vehicle after its manufacture.  When this date of registration is not available, it will be referred to as
the date of construction.

2.
Where the original bus engine has been replaced by a new engine, the document referred to
in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be substituted by a document proving the compliance of the new
engine with the relevant type-approval rules mentioned in Article 3.

43

ARTICLE 8

1.
Notwithstanding  the  provision  referred  to  in  paragraph  (a)  of  Article  1  of  this  Annex,
Contracting Parties may establish random inspections in order to control that the buses and coaches
concerned  comply  with  the  provisions  of  Directive  96/96/EC.    For  the  purpose  of  this  Annex
"random inspections"  shall  mean an  unscheduled and therefore unexpected  inspection  of  a  bus  or
coach  circulating  on  the  territory  of  a  Contracting  Party  carried  out  by  the  authorities  at  the
roadside.

2.
In  order  to  carry  out  the  roadside  inspection  provided  for  in  this  Annex,  competent
authorities of Contracting Parties shall use the checklist included in Annex II a and II b.  A copy of
this checklist drawn up by the authority which carried it out shall be given to the driver of the bus or
coach  and  presented  on  request  in  order  to  simplify  or  avoid,  where  possible,  subsequent
inspections within a short and unreasonable period.

3.
If the vehicle examiner considers that the deficiency in the maintenance of the bus or coach
justifies  further  examination,  the  bus  or  coach  may  be  subjected  to  a  roadworthiness  test  at  an
approved testing centre in accordance with Article 2 of Directive 96/96/EC.

Without prejudice to other penalties which may be imposed, if the consequence of the random
4.
inspection is that the bus or coach does  not comply with  the  provisions  of  Directive  96/96/EC  and
therefore is considered to present a serious risk to its occupants or other road users, the bus or coach
may be banned immediately from use on public roads.

Roadside  checks  shall  be  carried  out  without  discrimination  on  the  grounds  of  nationality,

5.
residence or registration of buses and coaches and drivers respectively.

44

ANNEX II a 

CHECKLIST

1. Place of check .....................

2. Date ....................

3. Time ............

4. Vehicle nationality mark and registration number ..............................................................

5. Class of vehicle

(cid:1) Coach 1

6.  Name and address of transport operator carrying out transport

.........................................................................................................................

7. Nationality ......................................................................................................

8. Driver .............................................................................................................

9. Consignor, address, place of loading .............................................................

10. Consignee, address, place of unloading .........................................................

11. Gross mass of unit .........................................................................................

1  Motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight  seats in

addition to the driver’s seat (categories M2, M3).

45

                                                
12. Reason for failure:

(cid:1)  Braking system and components
(cid:1)  Steering linkages
(cid:1)  Lamps, lighting and signalling devices
(cid:1)  Wheels/hubs /tyres
(cid:1)  Exhaust system
(cid:1)  Smoke opacity (diesel)
(cid:1)  Gaseous emissions (petrol)

 13. Miscellaneous/remarks

 14. Authority/officer having carried out the inspection

 15. Result of inspection

(cid:1)  pass
(cid:1)  passed with minor defects
(cid:1)  serious defects
(cid:1)  immediate prohibition

Signature of testing inspector/Authorisation

46

 
 
 
ANNEX II b

Technical standards of the roadside check

Buses and coaches as defined in Article 3 of this Agreement shall be maintained in such a condition
that they can be deemed as roadworthy by the inspection authorities. 

The items that shall be inspected will include those that are considered to be important for the safe
and clean operation of the bus or coach.  As well as simple functional checks (lighting, signalling,
tyre condition etc.), specific tests and/or inspections shall be carried out on the vehicle's brakes and
the motor vehicle's emissions in the following manner:

1. 

Brakes

Every part of the braking system and its means of operation shall be maintained in good and
efficient working order and be properly adjusted. 

The  bus  or  coach’s  brakes  shall  be  capable  of  performing  the  following  three  braking
functions:

(a)

For  buses  and  coaches  and  their  trailers  and  semi-trailers,  a  service  brake  capable  of
slowing down the vehicle and of stopping it safely, rapidly and efficiently, whatever its
conditions  of  loading  and  whatever  the  upward  or  downward  gradient  of  the  road  on
which it is moving;

47

(b)

(c)

For  buses  and  coaches  and  their  trailers  and  semi-trailers  a  parking  brake  capable  of
holding the bus or coach stationary, whatever its condition of loading, on a noticeable
upward  or  downward  gradient,  the  operative  surfaces  of  the  brake  being  held  in  the
braking position by a device whose action is purely mechanical;

For  buses  and  coaches,  a  secondary  (emergency)  brake  capable  of  slowing  down  and
stopping  the  bus  or  coach,  whatever  its  condition  of  loading,  within  a  reasonable
distance, even in the event of failure of the service brake.

Where  the maintenance  condition of the bus or  coach is  in  doubt,  the  inspection  authorities
may  test  the  bus  or  coach’s  braking  performance  in  accordance  with  some  or  all  of  the
provisions of Directive 96/96/EC Annex II, item I.

2. 

Exhaust Emissions

2.1

Exhaust emission

2.1.1 Buses and coaches equipped with positive-ignition (petrol) engines.

(a) Where the exhaust emissions are not controlled by an advanced emission control system

such as a three-way catalytic converter which is lambda-probe controlled:

1.

Visual inspection of the exhaust system in order to check that there is no leakage.

2. 

If appropriate, visual inspection of the emission control system in order to check
that the required equipment has been fitted.

48

After  a  reasonable  period  of  engine  conditioning  (taking  account  of  the  bus  or  coach
manufacturer's  recommendations)  the  carbon  monoxide  (CO)  content  of  the  exhaust
gases is measured when the engine is idling (no load).

The maximum permissible CO content in the exhaust gases is that stated by the bus or
coach manufacturer.  Where this information is not available or where Member States'
competent authorities decide not to use it as a reference value, the CO content must not
exceed the following:

-

-

for buses and coaches registered or put into service for the first time between the
date  from  which  Contracting  Parties  required  the  buses  and  coaches  to  comply
with Directive 70/220/EEC 4 and 1 October 1986: CO - 4,5 % vol.

for  buses  and  coaches  registered  or  put  into  service  for  the  first  time  after
1 October 1986: CO - 3,5 % vol.

(b) Where  the  exhaust  emissions  are  controlled  by  an  advanced  emission  control  system

such as a three-way catalytic converter which is lambda-probe controlled:

1.

2.

Visual  inspection  of  the  exhaust  system  in  order  to  check  that  there  are  no
leakages and that all parts are complete.

Visual  inspection  of  the  emission  control  system  in  order  to  check  that  the
required equipment has been fitted.

4 

Council Directive 70/220/EEC of 20 March 1970 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States
relating  to  measures  to  be  taken  against  air  pollution  by  emissions  from  motor  vehicles  (OJ  L  76,
9.3.1970, p.1) and corrigendum (OJ L 81, 11.4.1970, p. 15), as last amended by European Parliament and
Council Directive 94/12/EC (OJ L 100, 19.4.1994, p. 42).

49

                                                
3.

Determination of the efficiency of the bus or coach’s emission control system by
measuring  the  lambda  value  and  the  CO  content  of  the  exhaust  gases  in
accordance with Section 4 or with the procedures proposed by the manufacturers
and  approved  at  the  time  of  type-approval.    For  each  of  the  tests,  the  engine  is
conditioned in accordance with the bus or coach manufacturer's recommendations.

4. Exhaust pipe emissions - limit values

Measurement at engine idling speed:

The maximum permissible  CO content in  the  exhaust  gases  is  that  stated  by  the
bus or coach manufacturer.  Where this information is not available, the maximum
CO content must not exceed 0,5% vol.

Measurement at high idle speed, engine speed to be at least 2 000 min-1:

CO content : maximum 0,3 % vol.

Lambda : 1 ± 0,03 in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

50

2.1.2 Buses and coaches equipped with compression ignition (diesel) engines.

Measurement of exhaust gas opacity with free acceleration (no load from idling up to cut-off
speed).  The level of concentration must not exceed the level recorded on the plate pursuant to
Directive 72/306/EEC 5.  Where this information is not available or where Contracting Parties'
competent authorities decide not to use it as a reference, the limit values of the coefficient of
absorption are as follows:

Maximum coefficient of absorption for:
naturally aspirated diesel engines 
turbo-charged diesel engines 

= 2,5 m-1,
= 3,0 m-1

or equivalent values where use is made of equipment of a type different from that used for EC
type-approval.

2.1.3 Test equipment

Buses'  and  coaches'  emissions  are  tested  using  equipment  designed  to  establish  accurately
whether  the  limit  values  prescribed  or  indicated  by  the  manufacturer  have  been  complied
with.

2.2 Where  appropriate,  a  check  on  the  correct  functioning  of  the  On  Board  Diagnostic  (OBD)

emission monitoring system.

5 

Council  Directive  72/306/EEC  of  2  August  1972  on  the  approximation  of  the  laws  of  the  Member
States relating to the measures to be taken against the emission of pollutants from diesel engines for use
in vehicles (OJ L 190, 20.8.1972, p.1), Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 89/491/EEC
(OJ L 238, 15.8.1989, p. 43).

51

                                                
Model of Control Document for occasional services exempted from authorisation

ANNEX 3

(green-coloured paper: DIN A4 + 29.7 x 21 cm)

(Front cover - recto)

(To be worded in the official language(s) or one  of the official languages
of the Contracting Party where the transport operator is established)

State in which the control document is issued
- Distinguishing sign of the country -6

Competent authority or duly authorised
agency

Book No ........................

INTERBUS 

BOOK OF PASSENGER WAYBILLS

For the international carriage of passengers by road by means of occasional coach and bus services established pursuant to:

- Articles 6 and 10 of the Agreement on the International Occasional Carriage of Passengers by Coach and Bus - INTERBUS Agreement.

Name or trade name of the transport operator : …………………………………………………………………………………………………..…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Address : …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………….…………………                                         …………………………………………….…………….
                           (Place and issue of book)              
                                                             (Signature and stamp of the authority issuing the book)

1

Belgium (B), Denmark (DK), Germany (D), Greece (GR), Spain (E), France (F), Ireland (IRL), Italy (I),
Luxembourg  (L),  Netherlands  (NL),Portugal  (P),United  Kingdom  (UK),  Finland  (FIN),  Austria  (A),
Sweden  (S),  Bulgaria(BG),  Czech  Republik  (CZ),  Estonia  (EST),  Hungary  (H),  Lithuania  (LT),  Latvia
(LV), Poland (PL), Romania (RO), Slovak Republik (SK), Slovenia (SLO) to be completed .

52

                                                
(green-coloured paper : DIN A4 = 29.7 x 21 cm)

(Flyleaf of the book of waybills - recto)

(To be worded in the official language(s) or one  of the official languages of the
Contracting Party where the transport operator is established)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

1. Services covered by the INTERBUS Agreement are the following:

1) International  carriage  of  passengers  of  any  nationality,  by  road  by  means  of  occasional

services :

-

- between the territories of two Contracting Parties, or starting and finishing in the territory of
the same Contracting Party, and should the need arise during such service, in transit through
the territory of another Contracting Party or through the territory of a non-Contracting State;
carried  out  by  transport  operators  for  hire  or  reward  established  in  a  Contracting  Party  in
accordance  with  its  law  and    holding  a  licence  to  undertake  carriage  by  means  of
international occasional services by coach and bus;
using  buses  and  coaches  registered  in  the  territory  of  the  Contracting  Party  where  the
transport operator  is  established  which  by  virtue  of  their  construction  and  their  equipment,
are  suitable  for  carrying  more than  nine  persons,  including  the  driver,  and  are  intended  for
that purpose.

-

For  services  provided  by  transport  operators  established  within  the  European  Community,  the
points of departure and/or destination of the services can be in any Member State of the European
Community,  independently  of the  Member State  in  which  the  bus or coach  is  registered  or  the
Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established.

3. Conditions applicable to buses and coaches 

Buses  and  coaches  used  to  carry  out  international  occasional  services  covered  by  the
INTERBUS Agreement shall comply with the technical standards according to Article 5 and
Annex 2 of such Agreement 

4. Information concerning the completion of the waybill.

1. For each journey carried out as an occasional service the transport operator must complete a

2) Unladen journeys of the buses and coaches concerned with these services.

passenger waybill in duplicate, before the start of the journey.

3) For  the  purposes  of  the  INTERBUS  Agreement,  the  term  'territory  of  a  Contracting  Party'
covers,  as  far  as  the  European  Community  is  concerned,  those  territories  where  the  Treaty
establishing that Community is applied and under the conditions laid down in that Treaty.

4) The  possibility  to  operate  national  occasional  services  in  a  Contracting  Party  by  operators
established  in  another  Contracting  Party  is  excluded  from  the  scope  of  the  INTERBUS
Agreement.

For the purpose of providing the names of passengers, the transport operator may use a list
previously completed on a separate sheet, which shall be annexed to the passenger waybill.
The  transport  operator's  stamp  or,  where  appropriate,  the  transport  operator's  signature  or
that of the driver of the vehicle must be placed both on the list and on the passenger waybill.

For  services  where  the  outward  journey  is  made  unladen,  the  list  of  passengers  may  be
completed as provided above at the time when the passengers are taken up.

5) The  use  of  buses  and  coaches  designed  to  carry  passengers,  for  the  transport  of  goods  for

commercial purposes is excluded from the scope of this Agreement.

The top copy of the passenger waybill  must be kept on board the bus or coach throughout
the journey and be produced whenever required by any authorised inspecting officer.

2. For  services  where  the  outward  journey  is  made  unladen,  referred  to  in  point  4C  of  the
waybill,  the  transport  operator  must  attach  the  following  supporting  documents  to  the
passenger control document.

    -

    -

in  cases  mentioned  under 4  C1: the  copy  of  the  contract  of  carriage  in  so  far  as  some
countries  require  it,  or  any  other  equivalent  document  which  establishes  the  essential
data of this contract (especially place, country and date of conclusion, place, country and
date when passengers are taken up, place and country of destination);

in the case of services falling within 4 C2 : the passenger waybill which accompanied the
bus or coach during the corresponding journey  made by the transport operator outward
laden/return unladen in order to bring the passengers into the territory of the Contracting
Party where they are taken up again;

    -

in the case of services falling within 4 C3 : the letter of invitation from the person issuing
the invitation or a photocopy thereof.

3. In the course of occasional services no passenger may be taken  up or  set down  during  the
journey,  save  for  exemption  authorised  by  the  competent  authorities.  In  that  case  an
authorisation is needed.

4. The  transport  operator  is  responsible  for  seeing  that  passenger  waybills  are  duly  and

correctly completed. They shall be completed in block letters and in indelible ink.

5. The book of waybills is not transferable.

 6)  the INTERBUS Agreement does not concern own account occasional services.

2. International  occasional  Services  exempted  from  authorisation  on  the  territory  of  any
Contracting Party other than that in which the transport operator is established  under the
terms of Article 6 of the INTERBUS Agreement are the following:

1. Closed-door tours, that is to say services whereby the same buse or coach is used to carry the
same  group  of  passengers  throughout  the  journey  and  to  bring  them  back  to  the  place  of
departure.  The  place  of  departure  is  in  the  territory  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  the
transport operator is established.

2. Services  which  make  the  outward  journey  laden  and  the  return  journey  unladen.  The
place of departure is in the territory of the Contracting Party in which the transport operator is
established.

3. Services  during  which  the  outward  journey  is  made  unladen  and  all  the  passengers  are

taken up in the same place, provided that one of the following conditions is met:

a) passengers  constitute  groups,  on  the  territory  of  a  non-Contracting  Party  or  a  Contracting
Party  other  than  that  in  which  the  transport  operator  is  established  or  that  where  the
passengers are taken up, that have been formed under contracts of carriage made before their
arrival in the territory of the latter Contracting Party. Passengers are carried on the territory
of the Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established.

b) passengers  have  been  previously  brought,  by  the  same  transport  operator  in  the
circumstances provided  for under  point  2,  into the territory of the  Contracting  Party  where
they are taken up  again  and  carried  into the territory of the  Contracting Party  in  which the
transport operator is established. 

c) passengers have been invited to travel into the territory of another Contracting Party, the cost
of transport being borne by the person issuing the invitation. Such passengers must constitute
a  homogeneous  group,  which  has  not  been  formed  solely  with  a  view  to  undertaking  that
particular journey and which is brought into the territory of the  Contracting  Party  in  which
the transport operator is established. 

4. transit operations through Contracting Parties in conjonction with occasional services that are

exempted from authorisation shall also be exempted from authorisation.

5. Unladen buses and coaches to be used exclusively for the replacement of a damaged or broken
down bus or coach, performing an international service covered by this Agreement shall also be
exempted from authorisation.

53

             INTERBUS                                                                            (PASSENGER WAYBILL - RECTO)         (Green coloured paper- DIN A4 = 29.7 X 21  cm)

(To be worded in the official language(s) or one of the official languages
of the Contracting Party where the transport operator is established)

Book No..................
Waybill No..............

(State in which the document is issued)
- Distinguishing sign of the country

Vehicle Registration Number

Name or Trade name of transport operator

Number of Passenger seats available

.......................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................

1   ..................................................................................................
2   ..................................................................................................
3   ..................................................................................................

Name of Driver or Drivers
Type of service (put a cross in the appropriate box and add the required supplementary information

Closed-Door Tours

B

A

C

Outward journey laden/
Return journey unladen
(cid:1) Locality where passengers are set down and distinguishing
sign of the  country……………………………………………

Outward journey unladen and all the passengers
are taken up in the same place and transported
to the country in which the transport operator is established.
(cid:1)Locality where passengers are picked up and distinguishing sign of
the country…………………………………………………………….

C1

a)

The passengers were grouped together, under a contract of carriage made on   ..........................................................................................

(Date)

With .........................................................................................................................................

(travel agency, association, etc.)

2

3

4

b)

The passengers were grouped together on the territory of :
a) non contracting Party   .....................................................................................................................................................................................................
b) Contracting Party other than that in which the transport operator is established    ...............................................................................
c)
  Place and Contracting Party where the Passengers have been taken up  .................................................................................
d)   To be carried to the Contracting Party of establishment of the transport operator   ....................................................................................
o Copy of the contract of carriage or equivalent document is attached (cf. Important notice point 4).
Passengers have previously been brought by the same transport operator on a service referred to in B, to the contracting Party in which they are to be
taken up again and carried out into the territory of the Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established
o The passenger waybill for the previous outward laden journey and unladen return journey is attached.
Passengers have been invited to travel to  ......................................................................................................  (Name of the place and country)
Cost of transport being borne by the person issuing the invitation and the passengers constitute a homogeneous group which has not been formed solely
with a view to undertaking that particular journey.  The letter of invitation (or a photocopy thereof) is attached.
The group is brought into the territory of the Contracting Party where the transport operator is established.

(Name of this country)

(Name of this country)

(Name of this country)

(Name of this country)

C2

C3

54

55

Itinerary

Dates

(Passenger waybill - verso)

Daily Stages

from
Locality / Country

to
Locality / Country

Km
Laden

Km
Unladen

Border-crossing
points

5

6

7

8

9

List of passengers
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Date of completion of waybill

Unforeseen changes

Control stamps if any

22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42

43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63

Signature of the transport operator

(Item 6, if necessary, can be completed on a separate sheet that will be firmly stuck to this document)

56

ANNEX 4

Model of application for an authorisation for an international occasional service

(White paper - A4)

To be worded in the official language(s) or one of the official languages of
the Contracting Parties where the request is made

APPLICATION FOR AN AUTHORISATION

TO START AN INTERNATIONAL OCCASIONAL SERVICE

carried out by coach or bus
between Contracting Parties
in accordance with Article 7 of the Agreement on the International
Occasional Carriage of Passengers by Coach or Bus
(INTERBUS Agreement)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Competent authority of the Contracting Party from which the service departs,
namely, the first pick up point for passengers)

1.

Information concerning the applicant for authorisation:

Name or trade name:

...........................................................

Address:

...............................................................................

Country

...............................................................................

Tel.:

Fax:

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

57

 
(Second page of the application)

2. 

Purpose, reasons and description of the occasional service:

............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................

3.

Information concerning the route:

(a) Place of departure of service:...................................... Country ................................................

(b) Place of destination of service:................................... Country ................................................

Principal route of service and border crossing points

............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................

Countries whose territory is crossed without passengers being picked up or set down

           ....................................
           ....................................
           .................................... 

....................................
....................................
....................................

4.

5.

Date of carrying out of service: .......................................................................................................

Number of registration of bus(es) or coach (es)

....................................................................
....................................................................
....................................................................

6. 

Any additional information:

............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................

..................................

7.
                  (Place and date)                                                  (signature of applicant)

...................................................

58

(Third page of the application)

Important notice

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Transport operators shall fill in the application form and attach evidence that the applicant has a licence to
undertake carriage by means of international occasional services by coach and bus referred to in Article 1 (1)
(a) second indent of the INTERBUS agreement.

Occasional services other than those referred to in Article 6 of the INTERBUS agreement shall be subject to
authorisation namely, services other than the following:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Closed-door tours, that is to say services whereby the same bus or coach is used to carry the same
group of  passengers throughout the journey  and  to  bring  them  back  to  the  place  of  departure.  The
place  of  departure  is  in  the  territory  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  the  transport  operator  is
established.

Services which make the outward journey laden and the return journey unladen. The place of
departure is in the territory of the Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established.

Services during which the outward journey is made unladen and all the passengers are taken up in
the same place, provided that one of the following conditions is  met :

a)

b)

c)

passengers constitute groups, on the territory of a non-Contracting Party or of a Contracting
Party  other  than  that  in  which  the  transport  operator  is  established  or  that  where  the
passengers are taken up, that have been formed under contracts of carriage made before their
arrival in the territory of the latter Contracting Party. Passengers are carried on the territory of
the Contracting Party in which the transport operator is established.

passengers have been previously brought, by the same transport operator in the circumstances
provided for under point 2, into the territory of the Contracting Party where they are taken up
again and carried into the territory of the Contracting Party in which the transport operator is
established.

passengers have been invited to travel into the territory of another Contracting Party, the cost
of  transport being borne by the person issuing the invitation. Such passengers must constitute
a  homogeneous  group,  which  has  not  been  formed  solely  with  a  view  to  undertaking  that
particular journey and which is brought into the territory of the Contracting Party in which the
transport operator is established.

Transit  operations  through  Contracting  Parties  in  conjunction  with  occasional  services  that  are
exempted from authorisation shall also be exempted from authorisation.

Unladen buses and coaches to be used exclusively for the replacement of a bus or coach damaged or
broken  down    while  performing  an  international  service  covered  by  this  Agreement  shall  also  be
exempted from authorisation.

For  services  provided  by  transport  operators  established  within  the  European  Community,  the  points  of
departure  and/or  destination  of  the  services  can  be  in  any  Member  State  of  the  European  Community,
independently of the Member State in which the bus or coach is registered or the Member State in which the
transport operator is established

The  application  shall  be  made  to  the  competent  authority  of  the  Contracting  Party  in  which  the  service
departs, namely, the first pick-up point for passengers.

The  buses  and  coaches  to  be  used  shall  be  registered  on  the  territory  of  the  Contracting  Party  of
establishment of the transport operator.

The  buses  and  coaches  used  to  carry  out  international  occasional  services  covered  by  the  INTERBUS
Agreement shall comply with the technical standards laid down in Annex 2 of that agreement.

59

ANNEX 5

Model of authorisation for non-liberalised occasional services

(First page of authorisation)
(Pink paper - A4)

To be worded in the official language(s) or one of the official languages
of the Contracting Parties issuing the authorisation

ISSUING CONTRACTING PARTY
- International distinguishing sign - 1

COMPETENT AUTHORITY
(Stamp)

AUTHORISATION N°........

for an international occasional service
carried out by coach
or bus between Contracting Parties
in accordance with Article 7 of the Agreement on the
International Occasional Carriage of Passengers by
Coach and Bus
(INTERBUS Agreement)

to:
                                 (Surname, first name or trade name of transport operator)

........................................................................................................

Address:
Country:
Tel:
Fax:

...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................

...................................................
(Place and date of issue)

___________________

...................................................
(Signature and stamp of
issuing authority)

1

Belgium (B), Denmark (DK), Germany (D), Greece (GR), Spain (E), France (F), Ireland (IRL), Italy
(I),  Luxembourg  (L),  Netherlands  (NL),Portugal  (P),United  Kingdom  (UK),  Finland  (FIN),  Austria
(A)  Sweden (S),  Bulgaria(BG),  Czech  Republic  (CZ),  Estonia  (EST),  Hungary  (H),  Lithuania  (LT),
Latvia (LV), Poland (PL), Romania (RO), Slovak Republic (SK), Slovenia (SLO) to be completed.

60

1.

Purpose, reasons and description of the occasional service:

(Second page of authorisation)

...............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
.............

2.

Information concerning the route:

(a) Place of departure of service:....................................... Country ...............................................

(b) Place of destination of service:.................................... Country ...............................................

Principal route of service and border crossing points

...............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
.............

Date of provision of the service: ......................................................................................................

Registration number of the bus(es) or coach(es): ...........................................................................

3.

4.

...........................................................................
    ...........................................................................

5. 

Other conditions:

............................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................

6.

Passenger list attached.

          ......................................………...........

(Stamp of authority issuing authorisation)

61

(Third page of authorisation)

To be worded in the official language(s) or one of the official languages of the
Contracting Parties issuing the authorisation

Important notice

1.

2.

3.

The  authorisation  is  valid  for  the  entire  journey.  It  may  only  be  used  by  a
transport operator whose name and registration number of the bus or  coach is
indicated thereon.

The  authorisation  shall  be  kept  on  the  bus  or  coach  for  the  duration  of  the
journey and shall be presented whenever enforcement officials so request.

The list of passengers is to be annexed to this authorisation.

62

MODEL OF DECLARATION 
TO BE MADE BY INTERBUS CONTRACTING PARTIES 
CONCERNING ARTICLE 4 AND ANNEX 1

Conditions applying to road passenger transport operators

DECLARATION  BY  ...................................................(Name  of  the  Contracting  Party)
CONCERNING ARTICLE 4 AND ANNEX 1

1.

The  three  conditions  established  in  Title  I  of  Council  Directive  96/26/EC  of
29 April 1996  on  admission  to  the  occupation  of  road  haulage  operator  and  road
passenger transport operator and mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates and other
evidence  of  formal  qualification  intended  to  facilitate  for  these  operators  the  right  to
freedom  of  establishment  in  national  and  international  transport  operations  (Official
Journal  of  the  European  Communities  L  124  of  23.5.1996, p.  1),  as  last  amended  by
Council  Directive  98/76/EC  of  1  October  1998,  (Official  Journal  of  the  European
Community L 277 of 14.1.1998. p.17).

(a)

have 
........................................................................... (reference to the Law); 

introduced 

national 

been 

the 

in 

legislation 

by

(b) will 

introduced 
........................................................................... (date).

the 

be 

in 

national 

legislation

2.

As far as the condition concerning the "appropriate financial standing" is concerned,
the  existing  legislation  establishes  that  the  transport  operator  must  have  available
capital and reserves of at least:

- EUR ....................... (or equivalent in national currency) per vehicle used or
-

EUR  .......................  (or  equivalent  in  national  currency)  per  seat  of  the
passenger transport buses or coaches used by the transport operator.

It is envisaged that the amount of the "appropriate financial standing" will be adapted
to the requirements of Directive 96/26/EC on .......................... (date, or no later than
1.1.2005).

63

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

1.

TITLE OF OPERATION

Council  Decision  on  the  conclusion  of  an  Agreement  between  the  European
Community  and  13  Central  and  Eastern  European  countries  on  the  international
occasional carriage of passengers by coach and bus.

2.

BUDGET HEADING(S) INVOLVED

A-7010

A-7031

3.

LEGAL BASIS

Article  71 of the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community  in  conjunction  with
Article 300 of the Treaty establishing the European Community

4.

4.1

DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION

General objective

The Agreement is intended to promote the development of international transport in
Europe  and  facilitate  its  organisation  and  operation.  The  main  aim  is  to  obtain  the
same  degree of  liberalisation  as  that  achieved  by  the  Agreement  on  the  carriage  of
passengers by road by means of occasional coach and bus services (ASOR) signed in
Dublin on 26 May 1982. That Agreement did not, however, provide for any scope for
the accession of new Parties.

4.2

Period covered and arrangements for renewal 

The  Agreement  will  be  concluded  for  a  period  of  five  years,  dating  from  its  entry
into  force.  The  duration  of  the  Agreement  will  be  automatically  extended  for
successive periods of five years among those Contracting Parties who do not express
their wish not to do so.

5.

5.1

5.2

CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE/REVENUE

Non-compulsory expenditure

Differentiated appropriations/non-differentiated appropriations

A – 7010 NDA

A – 7031 NDA

64

5.3

Type of revenue involved

Not applicable.

6.

TYPE OF EXPENDITURE/REVENUE

–  Administrative expenditure (Partie A of the budget)

7.

7.1

FINANCIAL IMPACT

Method  of  calculating  total  cost  of  operation  (relation  between  individual  and
total costs)

15 experts for one day once a year = 15 x € 670 including travel  = € 10050

7.2

Itemised breakdown

Not applicable.

7.3

Operational  expenditure  for  studies,  experts  etc.  included  in  Part  B  of  the
budget

Not applicable.

7.4

Schedule of commitment and payment appropriations

Overall commitment under heading A 07031, including € 10050 per annum for this
operation.

8.

FRAUD PREVENTION MEASURES

Not applicable.

9.

9.1

ELEMENTS OF COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS

Specific and quantified objectives; target population

Not applicable.

9.2

Grounds for the operation

Not applicable.

9.3

Monitoring and evaluation of the operation

Not applicable.

65

10.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE (SECTION III, PART A OF THE BUDGET)

The  requirements  in  terms  of  human  and  administrative  resources  will  have  to
covered from the administering DG's allocation.

10.1

Effect on the number of posts

Type of post

Staff to be assigned to managing
the operation

Source

Duration

Permanent
posts

Temporary
posts

Officials or
temporary staff

Other resources

0.025
0.050

A
B
C

Additional
resources

Existing
resources in
the DG or
department
concerned

0.025
0.050 

Total

 0.075

 0.075

10.2

Overall financial impact of additional human resources

Amounts

Calculation method

Officials

 8100

 0.075 x 108 000 (unit cost)

 Indefinite

(EUR)

Temporary staff

Other resources (indicate
budget heading)

Total

 8100

The amounts express the total cost of additional posts for the total duration of the operation if
the duration is specified, and for 12 months if the duration is unspecified

66

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10.3

Increase  in  other  administrative  expenditure  as  a  result  of  the  operation,
especially costs relating to meetings of committees and groups of experts

(EUR)

Budget heading

Amounts

Method of calculation

 A-7030 missions

€ 2000

 For the years when meetings are held away from Brussels

1 annual meeting of the joint committee x 2 officials x € 1000

 A-7031

€ 10050

For the years when meetings are held in Brussels

Total

€ 12050

15 national experts x € 670

The amounts correspond to total expenditure for the operation if its duration is specified, or to
expenditure for 12 months if the duration of the operation is unspecified.

67