Road transport: ecopoints for heavy vehicles transiting through Austria for 2004

PURPOSE : to establish an ecopoint system for HGVs travelling through Austria during 2004. LEGISLATIVE ACT Regulation 2327/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a transitional points system applicable to heavy goods vehicles travelling through Austria for 2004 within the framework of a sustainable transport policy. CONTENT : This Regulation will extend the ecopoints system as an interim solution pending the adoption of the framework proposal on infrastructure charging. If the framework proposal on infrastructure charging is not adopted, the ecopoints system would be maintained for an additional year and, where appropriate, extended for two years at the most. The Council adopted the Regulation by qualified majority, the Austrian delegation voting against. The Regulation establishes a transitional transit system applicable to heavy good vehicles travelling through Austria for 2004. The Austrian delegation made clear that the new legislation does not achieve the intended environmental benefits and that the movement of goods should be made by rail rather than by road in this respect. This delegation issued a statement. The Council and the Commission also entered a statement. The Regulation applies to the entire territory of Austria. It advocates maintaining the number of ecopoints at a fixed level, namely that of 2003, for the 15 Member States. There is therefore no reduction in the present number of ecopoints that can be used by Community carriers. A complementary act carries a declaration that the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission agree on the number of transit points to be attributed to each of the acceding countries for use during the period of application of the Regulation. This agreement will be finalised in accordance with the appropriate legal procedure. The calculation of the transit points will be based on the total number of transit journeys through Austria made in 2002 multiplied by the NOx factor of 2003. For the period from 1 May 2004 to 31 December 2004, when the Regulation will apply in the acceding countries concerned, the number of transit points will be reduced correspondingly by 33,33 %. For 2005 and 2006, if the Regulation is extended, the evolution of these transit points will be aligned with the evolution of the transit points agreed for the current Member States. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 31/12/03.�