Agreement on the international occasional carriage of passengers by coach and bus (Interbus Agreement): international regular and special regular carriage of passengers by coach and bus. Protocol

The European Parliament adopted by 613 votes to 29, with 53 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of a Protocol to the Agreement on the international occasional carriage of passengers by coach and bus (Interbus Agreement) regarding the international regular and special regular carriage of passengers by coach and bus.

Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the Protocol.

The protocol will replace the protocol to the Interbus Agreement on the international regular and special regular carriage of passengers by coach and bus which was open for signature between 16 July 2018 and 16 April 2019 but was only signed by the Union, on the basis of Council Decision (EU) 2018/1195.

The Protocol covers only the provisions that were necessary to extend the Interbus Agreement to international regular and special regular carriage of passengers by coach and bus, without amending or repeating the common rules of the main Agreement. However, it emphasises the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 with regard to penalties and most serious infringements as well as maintains the obligation to fulfil the four conditions for access to the profession of a road passenger transport operator: effective and stable establishment, good repute, financial standing and professional competence.

In addition, in order to safeguard the quality of regular and special regular services and to ensure respect for the rules, a Contracting Party can only sign, conclude, ratify or accede to the Protocol if it has already signed and concluded, ratified or acceded to the main Interbus Agreement.