This Communication accompanies a proposal to amend Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on tachograph. This proposal aims at improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of tachographs, and to ensure that professional drivers respect the rules on driving hours and rest periods.
A number of other measures required to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the tachograph system were identified by the Commission when preparing this proposal. However, they can not be implemented directly by the proposed regulation itself. The present Communication explains how and when the Commission intends to implement these other measures which are needed but not integrated in the accompanying legislative proposal.
Four measures will need to be taken and are detailed in this Communication:
1. Update to technical progress through a delegated act Annex IB, in 2014, notably to preserve the security level of the digital tachograph. More specifically, it will be necessary to change by delegated acts the technical specifications of the digital tachograph laid down in Annex IB of Regulation (EEC) N° 3821/85. This will facilitate the development and production of tachographs with the new technical capabilities introduced by the legislative proposal. It will be necessary to upgrade the security mechanisms in order to preserve the current level of security and avoid fraud and tampering with the data recorded by tachographs. These changes will require a migration strategy in order to ensure compatibility between the existing cards and vehicle units in operation and those to be introduced.
2. Ask the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) in 2011 to develop security seals on tachographs to prevent interference with the data, harmonised standards should be developed by the appropriate standardisation bodies. These standards should be made available by 2014.
3. At international level, continue its efforts to promote EU social rules in road transport and the use of the technologically‑evolving digital tachographs in all its neighbouring countries. For this purpose, it shall propose to Council by the end of 2011 that the EU should be made a full member of the AETR, provided that on-going exploratory talks with non-EU AETR contracting parties are positive. The proposed regulation will make it necessary to improve the decision-making process on tachographs in the context of the so-called AETR agreement signed by the 27 EU Member States and 22 European countries (including CIS countries, Turkey and Western Balkan countries). In 2010 a modification of AETR made the digital tachograph the obligatory recording equipment for international transport in 22 non‑EU AETR countries. A consequence of this success in spreading the EU-developed tachograph beyond its borders is that these non-EU countries now become involved in the future technical adaptation of the device. The uniform implementation of tachograph use enables EU road hauliers to compete on an equal footing with road hauliers from these non EU-countries and which is ultimately in the interest of the EU.
4. Propose to amend Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences in order to organise properly the merging of cards used by professional drivers in digital tachographs with their driving licences from 2018.