Empowering Austria to amend its existing bilateral road transport agreement with Switzerland with a view to authorising cabotage operations in the course of the provision of international road passenger transport services by coach and bus in the border regions between the two countries

The European Parliament adopted by 654 votes to 4, with 1 abstention, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council empowering Austria to amend its existing bilateral road transport agreement with Switzerland with a view to authorising cabotage operations in the course of the provision of international road passenger transport services by coach and bus in the border regions between the two countries.

The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading, taking over the Commission's proposal.

The decision was proposed in response to a request by Austria to empower it in line with Article 2(1) TFEU to amend its bilateral road transport agreement with Switzerland of 1958 with a view to authorising cabotage operations during the provision of passenger transport services by coach and bus in the border regions between the two countries.

In accordance with Article 20(1) of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Carriage of Goods and Passengers by Rail and by Road (the ‘EU-Swiss Agreement’), the transport of passengers by coach and bus between two points situated on the territory of the same Contracting Party to the EU-Swiss Agreement by carriers established in the territory of the other Contracting Party, known as cabotage, is not authorised.

Under the decision, Austria is empowered to amend the bilateral road transport agreement between Austria and Switzerland of 22 October 1958 with a view to authorising cabotage operations in the border regions of Austria and Switzerland during the provision of international passenger transport services by coach and bus between the two countries.

Under the Commission proposal, the authorisation is subject to the conditions that there is no discrimination between carriers established within the Union and no distortion of competition. There is also a clearly limited geographical scope of the cabotage operations, as they would only be permitted in the border regions of Austria specified in the text of the proposed decision -  administrative districts of Bludenz, Bregenz, Dornbirn, Feldkirch in the region of Vorarlberg and the district of Landeck in the region of Tyrol - in the course of the provision of coach and bus services between Austria and Switzerland.