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Common rules for access to the international market for coach and bus services ***I

TA-8-2019-0125 · P8_TA(2019)0125 · PE623.746

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Parliament's amended version of a proposed regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009 on access to the international market for coach and bus services. It extends the rules to national interurban services, sets up independent regulatory bodies, opens terminals on fair terms, and revises authorisation procedures and cabotage rules. It introduces distance thresholds for authorisation, allows Member States to limit access where a service would compromise a public service contract, and gives the Commission delegated powers to set formats and criteria. It abolishes the journey form for cabotage, deletes the local excursions article, and requires Member States to report statistics to the Commission each year.

Key points

  1. Extends Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009 to all national interurban regular coach and bus services, without applying it to urban or suburban centres or conurbations.
  2. Requires each Member State to designate a single independent national regulatory body for road passenger transport, with powers to issue binding opinions and monitor competition.
  3. Tasks the regulatory body with economic analyses of whether a new service would compromise a public service contract, information on terminal access, deciding appeals, and keeping a public register of authorised services.
  4. Requires terminal operators to grant carriers access on fair, equitable, non-discriminatory and transparent terms, and allows refusal only on justified grounds such as lack of capacity or repeated failure to pay fees.
  5. Sets a two-month deadline for terminal operators to decide on access applications, with appeals to the regulatory body, which must decide within three weeks.
  6. Introduces authorisation procedures for international regular services under and over 100 kilometres, and for national regular services, with deadlines of two to three months.
  7. Allows refusal of authorisation only on listed grounds, including non-compliance with road transport law, failure to meet authorisation conditions, or a regulatory body finding that the service would compromise a public service contract.
  8. Permits Member States to limit access for services under 100 kilometres that would compromise a public service contract, or over any distance in urban or suburban centres.
  9. Authorises cabotage for special regular services, occasional services, and regular services performed during an international service, excluding urban transport.
  10. Abolishes the journey form as an unnecessary administrative burden and deletes the article on local excursions.
  11. Requires Member States to report annually to the Commission on authorisations for regular services, cabotage operations, and Community licences.
  12. Grants the Commission delegated powers to amend annexes, set certificate and authorisation formats, and establish criteria for economic analyses.

Who is affected

  • Coach and bus operators: must hold a Community licence and comply with new authorisation and cabotage rules.
  • Terminal operators: must grant access on fair terms, publish information, and decide applications within deadlines.
  • Member States: must designate regulatory bodies, report statistics, and may limit access under conditions.
  • Public service operators: protected from services compromising their contracts, with exclusive rights respected.

Figures and deadlines

  • 100 kilometres journey distance: threshold for authorisation procedures and access limitations.
  • 120 kilometres: increased threshold where a route is already served by more than one public service contract.
  • 600m2: minimum area for a terminal.
  • Two months: deadline for terminal operators to decide on access applications.
  • Three weeks: deadline for the regulatory body to decide on appeals.
  • Six months' notice: required before suspending or withdrawing an authorisation that compromises a public service contract.
  • 31 January: annual deadline for Member States to report statistics to the Commission.
  • Two months: period for Parliament or Council to object to a delegated act, extendable by two months.

Legal basis: Article 91(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.