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matters by John Darker, AMBIM
The Common Market: present and future problems
MANY MONTHS will pass before Britain decides whether to join the Common Market or withdraw its application. A foretaste of the lively controversy about the terms of entry was provided at the recent conferences of the Trades Union Congress and the main political parties. Transport problems are unlikely to be decisive factors one way or the other—they are scarcely mentioned at briefings given to journalists in London by the EEC Secretariat.
International road transport operators will be aware of the Common Market drivers' hours and records system which has operated for some time in road movements between member countries. From October 1 this year UK vehicles, and those from other countries outside the EEC, have had to comply with the Common Market system.
The need for road transport rules covering not only Common Market countries but others outside the community led to the so called AETR agreement. The Common Market countries have individually accepted AETR requirements and UK operators to the Continent must now comply with AETR rules for driving time and record keeping. It is early days to pronounce on the question of enforcement but it is known that the German authorities, particularly, intend to be tough.
The AETR system
All vehicles exceeding 3.5 metric tons come under the AETR system and details of driving hours and records must be kept in special "control books". The graphical format with symbols showing rest, driving or maintenance work on vehicles contrasts with log books used under operators' licensing. It is, in the opinion of some, a better system.
The main hours rules of AETR are: 1. No person may be involved as a driver in international transport unless he has had at least 11 consecutive hours of rest in the 24-hour period preceding the day when he is engaged in such driving.
2. No one must drive for more than nine hours in any day between two consecutive rest periods.
3. Total driving time must not exceed 48 hours in one week or 92 hours in one fortnight.
4. There must be no continuous driving period exceeding four hours, after which there must be a break from such driving of not less than one hour or two breaks of not less than 30 minutes spaced out during the driving period of that day.
5. There must be at least one period of not less than 24 hours consecutive rest during every working week.
The regulations provide that for (a) a combination of vehicles including more than one trailer or semi-trailer, or of (b) a combination of vehicles used for carriage of goods where the permissible maximum weight exceeds 20 metric tons, and where such a vehicle is undertaking a journey on that day exceeding 450km, there must be two men on the vehicle from the start of the journey or the driver must be replaced after covering 450km.
Control books
The control books—which contain a daily form and weekly summary—must be produced at-frontier posts and on demand from the appropriate authority. The book will be stamped at an inspection. Before commencing an international journey, details of the driver's previous seven days work must be summarized in the book. The record is kept by drawing a continuous line across the page under the relevant column, headed by symbols and not words. A summary of the requirements and a specimen of a completed daily sheet appears in the control book.
The Freight Transport Association, Road Haulage Association and the Passenger Vehicle Operators' Association are to provide control books meeting AETR requirements. All the associations are concerned about enforcement aspects and they will keep members informed when more is known.
Within the EEC the gargantuan task of attempting to reconcile different operating conditions, makes jerky progress. Last June a Council session of Transport Ministers adopted two regulations intended to remove distortion of competition in the transport sector.
From January 1 1971 member states must introduce permanent and uniform accounting of expenditure on transport infrastructure with a view to making all transport users bear their fair share of infrastructure costs. This long-term investigation began in 1966 when there was a pilot study of the route from Paris to Le Havre. Further pilot studies are to be undertaken to define more clearly urban congestion costs.
The second regulation lists the criteria for deciding which state subsidies in rail, roaa and inland waterway transport are permitted by the Common Market Treaty. The criteria were approved last January but a dispute between Germany and the Netherlands over allegedly discriminatory rates for container freight in Germany delayed the adoption of the regulation. European-level rate fixing has now been agreed by Germany.
From January 1 1971 State aids will be authorized if: they compensate railways for additional costs not borne by their competitors—for example, for maintaining a specified number of personnel; they help transport undertakings bearing infrastructure investment charges not borne by their competitors.
State aids can also be authorized when: they are granted temporarily and exceptionally as part of a reorganization plan to eliminate surplus capacity causing serious structural difficulties—Germany's S 250m, four-year Leber Plan for German rail rationalization is an example: they are for the experimental phase of a research and development project for more efficient transport. Another case where they qualify is when they compensate a transport organization for losses incurred in being obliged to maintain uneconomic public services--eg cheap rates for schoolchildren, students and military personnel. In the latter case they only qualify in so far as the aids are not already provided for by existing Community regulations.
The Founding Fathers of the Community sought to provide acceptable rules for harmonizing competition between competing forms of transport or between member states. In March 1969 the Council adopted two regulations, one on public service obligations, the other on standardization of railway accounts. Both were designed to help wipe out railway deficits.
In June this year Ministers were still bothered about the slow progress achieved and were in a mood to clutch at straws: they said they would try to introduce automatic coupling on railway carriages by about 1980, at a cost of some 51,000m. Ultimately automatic couplers may be provided for all rail rolling stock. France and the Netherlands are calling for closer co-ordination of railway administrations on such issues as rates and the purchase of rolling-stock and other equipment. All these moves are designed to improve the competitive position of railways.
Mr Victor Bodson, a retiring Commission member, urged the need for a major review of the Six's common policy on transport and suggested its extension to cover shipping and civil aviation. A common approach to air and sea transport was urgent, he felt, because of the imminence of negotiations for Britain's and Norway's entry to the Common Market—Britain is heavily involved in airlines and shipping and Norway has a large merchant fleet.
European system Mr Bodson wanted a genuine European transport system to be developed and serious consideration given to the Six setting up a joint administration for all national railways with a common fund to finance transport studies, research and infrastructure investment problems.
The slow progress made so far in the transport harmonization policies in the Six make Mr Bodson's ideas for the future sound Utopian. The Six, he said, should adopt long-range targets for the implementation of a co-ordinated transport policy between now and the end of the century. Hence, a systematic study should be taken of traffic forecasts for the next 30 years.
The abolition of customs dues in the Common Market was supposed to end irritating frontier controls. The Commission admits that the existing controls do not infringe the Rome treaty but for practical and psychological reasons they would like them to be abolished. Examples of controls are:—
Frontier checks for irregularities, to assess correctly the common external tariff on goods for non-member countries, and to implement a system of automatic licences. Controls resulting from differing import systems; and to levy indirect taxes and excise duties; restrictions on movements of gold and foreign currencies. Enforcing of Common Market regulations, eg for transport, agriculture and subsidies for coking coal.
Collection of statistical information; and checking of travellers' identities and motorists' car insurance.
In the long term, the Commission says the Six (or 10?) should seek to remove some controls by issuing automatic licences, harmonizing legislation and agreeing to mutual recognition of controls. In the short term, there is hope that random checks will replace systematic checks and a more liberal attitude will be adopted to the movement of goods and people across frontiers.
The delay in the decision to draw up a specification for the design of the tachograph—which ultimately could replace log books—was understandable because of the desire of French, Belgian and Netherlands firms to share in the orders. When specifications are prepared will Germany—now in a dominant position in the tachograph market—still get the lion's share of orders? New vehicles in the Community must have tachographs by January 11975.