(1)

Directive 2006/1/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) provides for a minimum level of market opening as regards the use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road.

(2)

The use of hired vehicles can reduce the costs of undertakings carrying goods on their own account or for hire or reward, and at the same time can increase their operational flexibility. It can therefore contribute to an increase in the productivity and competitiveness of the undertakings concerned. Moreover, as hired vehicles tend to be newer than the average fleet, they are on average also safer and less polluting.

(3)

Directive 2006/1/EC does not enable undertakings to benefit fully from the advantages of using hired vehicles. The Directive allows Member States to restrict the use by undertakings established on their respective territories of hired vehicles with a total permissible laden weight of more than 6 tonnes for own-account transport operations. Moreover, Member States are not required to allow the use of a hired vehicle on their respective territories if the vehicle has been registered or put into circulation in compliance with the laws of a Member State other than the Member State of establishment of the undertaking hiring it.

(4)

In order to enable undertakings to benefit to a greater extent from the advantages of using hired vehicles, it should be possible for them to use vehicles hired in any Member State, not only in the Member State of establishment. Such a possibility would, in particular, make it easier for them to meet short-term, seasonal or temporary peaks in demand or to replace defective or damaged vehicles, while ensuring compliance with the necessary safety requirements and ensuring adequate working conditions for drivers.

(5)

Member States should not be allowed to restrict the use on their respective territories of a vehicle hired by an undertaking established on the territory of another Member State if the vehicle has been registered or put into circulation in accordance with the applicable laws, safety requirements and other mandatory standards of a Member State and, if it is a vehicle requiring a certified true copy of the Community licence in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5), if it has been authorised to be used by the Member State of establishment of the undertaking by means of such certified true copy.

(6)

In order to simplify the provision of relevant evidence, Member States should also recognise documents in electronic form as a means of proving compliance with Directive 2006/1/EC.

(7)

The level of road transport taxation still differs considerably throughout the Union. Therefore, certain restrictions, which also indirectly affect the freedom to provide vehicle hire services, remain justified in order to avoid fiscal distortions. Consequently, Member States should have the option to limit the length of time undertakings established on their respective territories may use a hired vehicle registered or put into circulation in another Member State. Given that this Directive does not harmonise national vehicle taxation and that vehicle registration rules are connected with vehicle taxation, Member States should have the option to require the registration of the hired vehicle, provided that the vehicle be allowed to circulate for at least 30 days before such a requirement becomes applicable. Member States should also be allowed to limit the number of such vehicles being hired by an undertaking established on their respective territories. That limit should not be lower than a certain share of the number of vehicles at the disposal of the undertaking, calculated exclusive of vehicles hired in another Member State and not registered in the Member State of establishment of the undertaking.

(8)

In order to improve the enforcement by a Member State of restrictions on the use by an undertaking established on its territory of hired vehicles that are registered or put into circulation in compliance with the laws of another Member State, the Member State of establishment should be allowed to require that the duration of the contract of hire does not exceed the length of the time allowed for using the vehicle concerned. It is possible to limit the validity of certified true copies of the Community licence issued in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 to the period corresponding to the duration of the contract of hire. It is also possible to indicate the registration number of the hired vehicle on those certified true copies.

(9)

The circulation of hired vehicles should not hamper the monitoring and control of the legality of transport operations carried out by undertakings in Member States other than their Member State of establishment. In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6), national electronic registers are to contain the registration numbers of vehicles at the disposal of a transport undertaking. That should also include any vehicles hired in a Member State other than the Member State of establishment of the undertaking. Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 also provides for the accessibility of data contained in national electronic registers by the competent authorities of other Member States. The national electronic registers should allow for targeted searches in respect of vehicles with registration numbers issued by Member States other than the Member State of establishment.

(10)

In order to ensure uniform compliance with the obligation to enter the registration number of a hired vehicle used by an undertaking which engages in the carriage of goods by road for hire or reward in the national electronic registers, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission relating to the minimum requirements for the data to be entered in the national electronic registers. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7).

(11)

In order to allow own-account transport operations to be conducted more efficiently, Member States should no longer be allowed to restrict the possibility of using hired vehicles for such operations. However, to avoid potential fiscal issues, the possibility of restricting the use of hired vehicles for own-account transport operations should be maintained for vehicles registered outside the Member State of establishment of the undertaking using them.

(12)

The Commission should monitor the implementation and effects of Directive 2006/1/EC and draw up a report at the latest 4 years after the date of transposition of this Directive. That report should take due account of the impact of this Directive on road safety, on the environment by reference to changes in the age and type composition of the vehicle fleets, and on tax revenues, with particular regard to the justification of restrictions provided for in this Directive. The report should also assess whether the implementation of this Directive has entailed difficulties in relation to enforcement, including the enforcement of cabotage rules. The Commission should consider the need for future action in that area in light of that report.

(13)

Since the objectives of this Directive cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of the cross-border nature of road transport and of the issues this Directive is intended to address, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

(14)

Directive 2006/1/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

Article 2 is amended as follows:

(2)

Article 3 is replaced by the following:

(3)

the following Article is inserted:

(*3)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/480 of 1 April 2016 establishing common rules concerning the interconnection of national electronic registers on road transport undertakings and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1213/2010 (OJ L 87, 2.4.2016, p. 4)."

(*4)  Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1)."

(*5)  Directive 2006/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on minimum conditions for the implementation of Regulations (EC) No 561/2006 and (EU) No 165/2014 and Directive 2002/15/EC as regards social legislation relating to road transport activities, and repealing Council Directive 88/599/EEC (OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, p. 35).’;"

(4)

The following Articles are inserted:

(*6)  Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 February 2014 on tachographs in road transport, repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport and amending Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport (OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 1)."

(*7)  Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).’."