Road transport: distribution of permits for heavy goods vehicles travelling in Switzerland

The committee adopted the report (codecision procedure, first reading) by Pedro APARICIO SANCHEZ (PES, E) approving the Commission proposal subject to a number of amendments. The report noted that there was a shortage of information with regard to a number of parameters, such as the nationality of the hauliers, the amount of traffic diverted as a result of the Swiss 28-tonne weight limit, and the Member States in which the vehicles were registered. Consequently, there was a need for additional data. The Commission had acknowledged its lack of reliable and up-to-date data on traffic flows between the Union and Switzerland, although negotiations between the two parties had been going on for years. The committee adopted amendments concerning inter alia the date for the allocation of permits and the transfer of unused permits for a given year (the date was 15 November in both cases in the original proposal). The committee proposed that the permits for each year should be allocated before 15 August to enable hauliers to plan their operations better and that Member States should transfer unused permits to the Commission by 15 September each year so as to maximise use of the permits within the space of the year in question.