EEA agreement: amending annex XIII (transport) and protocol 37

PURPOSE : this draft common position of the Community aims at modifying Annex XIII (Transport) and Protocol 37 to the EEA Agreement. CONTENT : In order to ensure the requisite legal security and homogeneity, the EEA Joint Committee is to integrate all the relevant Community legislation into the EEA Agreement as soon as possible after its adoption. The EEA Joint Committee should, therefore, adopt Decision 1692/96/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network. The extension of the trans-European transport network to the whole EEA is in the Community's interest and is compatible with the objectives defined in the Decision, particularly in its Article 2 (2)(h). Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora is not extended to the EEA and therefore cannot apply in this context. Decision 1692/96 repeals Council Decision 78/174/EEC which created the Committee on Transport Infrastructure that is included in Protocol 37, point 4 of the EEA Agreement. Point 4 is to be replaced by the Committee on the Trans-European Transport Network created by the Decision 1692/96.�