EC/Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia FYROM agreement: ecopoints for heavy vehicles travelling through Austria from 1st January 2004

PURPOSE : signature, provisional application and conclusion of an Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia concerning the transitional points system applicable to heavy goods vehicles travelling through Austria. PROPOSED ACT : Council Decision. CONTENT : the Agreement between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the field of transport provides for a system of ecopoints applicable to traffic of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in transit through Austria with effect from 1 January 1999. The system of ecopoints similar to that provided for by Article 11 of Protocol 9 to the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the European Union will apply until 31 December 2003. A proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a system of ecopoints to be applied to heavy goods vehicles in transit through Austria for the year 2004 was the subject of an agreement between the European Parliament and the Council following the conciliation procedure on 25 November 2003. This agreement will lead to the adoption of a Regulation which will enter into force on 1 January 2004 (refer to COD/2001/0310). The Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Community and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia concerning the system of ecopoints to be applied to transit traffic of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia through Austria as from 1 January 1999 establishes the number of ecopoints allocated to heavy goods vehicles of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for the period 1999-2003 on the basis of the "no less favourable treatment for Community heavy goods vehicles" principle. The Community should therefore now open negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in order to reach a formal agreement. Given the short timescale in which the Agreement must be applied (from 1.1.2004), the Commission calls on the Council to pronounce, at the same time, on the recommendation for negotiations and the proposals for Council decisions on the signature, provisional application and conclusion of the Agreement. It therefore submits the relevant recommendation and proposals for decisions to the Council.�