
Article 1 
This Regulation lays down the rules for the distribution of permits allocated to the Community by Switzerland allowing heavy goods vehicles of up to 34 tonnes to travel on its territory as from 1 January 2001, opening up, from the same date, the quotas for vehicles the actual total laden weight of which is more than 34 tonnes but not more than 40 tonnes and for empty and light goods vehicles and introducing the RPLP (heavy traffic levy) on the Swiss network.
Article 2 
For the purposes of this Regulation:

1.. ‘full-weight’ permit shall mean a permit to travel on Swiss territory granted for goods vehicles the actual total laden weight of which is more than 34 tonnes but not more than 40 tonnes;
2.. ‘empty’ permit shall mean a permit to travel on Swiss territory granted for goods vehicles that are empty or are transporting light loads.
Article 3 

1. The Commission shall allocate permits in accordance with paragraphs 2, 3 and 4.
2. The ‘full-weight’ permits shall be distributed in accordance with Annex I.
3. The ‘empty’ permits shall be distributed in accordance with Annex II.
4. The permits for each year shall be distributed before 15 August of the preceding year.
Article 4 
Member States shall distribute permits amongst the undertakings established in their territory according to objective and non-discriminatory criteria.
Article 5 
Before 15 September each year, Member States shall transfer to the Commission those permits which have not been allocated to undertakings.
In accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 7, the Commission shall allocate those permits to one or more Member States in such a way as to ensure an optimal use thereof.
Article 6 
When the Commission makes its proposal for adjustment, it shall take as a basis actual traffic flows during 2001, while seeing to it that equal account is taken of criteria relating to bilateral traffic operations and transit traffic operations. Should the recalculation result in an allocation for any Member State which differs substantially from that set out in Annexes I and II, any amendments necessary to adapt Annexes I and II shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 7.
Article 7 

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee.
2. Where reference is made to this Article, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.
3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 8 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.Done at Brussels, 18 December 2000.
For the European Parliament
The President
N. FONTAINE
For the Council
The President
D. VOYNET
ANNEX I

The Commission shall allocate ‘full-weight’ permits to the Member States according to the following scale:

Member State %
Belgium 6,9
Denmark 1,4
Germany 25
Greece 0,9
Spain 2
France 15
Ireland 0,85
Italy 24
Luxembourg 1,45
Netherlands 8,9
Austria 8
Portugal 0,7
Finland 0,8
Sweden 0,75
United Kingdom 3,35
Total: 100 %
The total number of permits to be allocated will amount to 300 000 for 2001 and 2002 and to 400 000 for 2003 and 2004.

ANNEX II

The Commission shall allocate ‘empty permits’ to the Member States according to the following scale:

Member State 2001-2004
Belgium 14 067
Denmark 1 310
Germany 50 612
Greece 5 285
Spain 1 500
France 16 126
Ireland 220
Italy 93 012
Luxembourg 3 130
Netherlands 21 517
Austria 2 183
Portugal 192
Finland 867
Sweden 381
United Kingdom 9 598
Total 220 000

ANNEX III

Allocation of the permits determined in Annexes I and II will take place on the basis of the following methodology:

 
Initially, each Member State will receive 1 500 permits.

Thereafter, the remaining permits will be allocated in equal parts on the basis of criteria relating to bilateral traffic operations and transit traffic operations.

This result will be adjusted slightly to take account of the specific geographical situation of certain Member States.

The allocation will take place on the basis of the shares of each Member State in bilateral transport to and from Switzerland.

The allocation will take place on the basis of the shares of heavy vehicles registered in the Member State concerned in the total number of diverted kilometres in north-south and south-north trans-Alpine road traffic as a result of the current weight restrictions in Switzerland.

Diverted mileage will be calculated as the difference between the actual distance of trans-Alpine journeys and the shortest distance through Switzerland. The mileages through Switzerland will be adjusted by the addition of 60 kilometres to take into account border delays and road traffic conditions.

For those Member States where the abovementioned method of calculation leads to an amount of less than 200, the allocation will be established at a level of 200 permits.

 
‘Empty’ permits will be allocated on the basis of the shares of vehicles registered in the Member States in the transit traffic through Switzerland of vehicles with a laden weight between 7,5 and 28 tonnes.

