Article 1 
This Regulation applies to the transport of goods or passengers by inland waterway between Member States and in transit through them.
Article 2 
Any operator transporting goods or passengers by inland waterway shall be allowed to carry out the transport operations referred to in Article 1 above without discrimination on grounds of his nationality or place of establishment, provided that he: — is established in a Member State in accordance with the laws of that Member State, — is entitled in that Member State to carry out the international transport of goods or passengers by inland waterway, — uses for such transport operations inland waterways vessels which are registered in a Member State or, in the absence of registration, possess a certificate of membership of a fleet of a Member State, and — satisfies the conditions laid down in Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3921/91 of 16 December 1991 laying down the conditions under which non-resident carriers may transport goods or passengers by inland waterway within a Member State ( 4 ) .
Article 3 
This Regulation shall not affect the rights of third-country operators under the Revised Convention for the Navigation of the Rhine (Mannheim Convention), the Convention on Navigation on the Danube (Belgrade Convention) or the rights arising from the European Community's international obligations.
Article 4 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities . This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 8 July 1996. For the Council The President R. QUINN This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 8 July 1996. For the Council The President R. QUINN For the Council The President R. QUINN