Republike Slovenije
mag. Anton Bergauer, l. r.
Za Vlado Združenega kraljestva
Velike Britanije in Severne Irske
Lord Whitty, l. r.
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereinafter called “the Contracting Parties”);
Desiring to facilitate international road transport between their two countries and in transit through their territories;
Have agreed as follows:
DEFINITIONS
ARTICLE 1
For the purposes of this Agreement:
(1) the term “carrier” shall mean any physical or legal person who, in either the territory of the Republic of Slovenia or of the United Kingdom, is authorised in accordance with the relevant national laws and regulations to engage in the international carriage of passengers or goods by road for hire or reward or on his own account;
(2) the term “passenger vehicle” shall mean any mechanically propelled road vehicle which:
(a) is constructed or adapted for use and used on the roads for the carriage of passengers;
(b) has more than nine seats including that of the driver;
(c) is registered in the territory of one Contracting Party and is owned or operated by or on behalf of a carrier authorised in that territory to carry passengers; and
(d) is temporarily imported into the territory of the other Contracting Party for the purpose of the international carriage of passengers to, from or in transit through that territory;
(3) the term “goods vehicle” shall mean any mechanically propelled road vehicle which is:
(a) constructed or adapted for use and used on the roads for the carriage of goods;
(b) registered in the territory of one Contracting Party; and
(c) temporarily imported into the territory of the other Contracting Party for the purpose of the international carriage of goods for delivery at or collection from any point in that territory or in transit through that territory;
and any trailer or semi-trailer which fulfils conditions (a) and (c) of this paragraph and is operated by a carrier of one Contracting Party; provided that if a trailer or semi-trailer and its towing vehicle both fulfil the conditions of this paragraph the combination shall be regarded as one vehicle;
(4) the term “territory”, in relation to the Republic of Slovenia it shall mean the territory of the Republic of Slovenia;
in relation to the United Kingdom, shall mean England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar;
(5) the competent authorities shall be:
in the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Transport and Communications;
in the United Kingdom, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
PASSENGER TRANSPORT
ARTICLE 2
Transport Services
Carriers licensed in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia or of the United Kingdom shall be permitted to operate transport services using passenger vehicles registered in the territory in which they are based, either between the territories of the Contracting Parties or in transit through the territory of either Contracting Party, subject to the conditions laid down in this Agreement.
ARTICLE 3
Authorisations and Exemptions
(1) The carriage of passengers on regular and shuttle services in passenger vehicles of a carrier authorised in the territory of one Contracting Party to or from any point in the territory of the other Contracting Party or in transit through that territory shall require to be authorised by that other Contracting Party.
(2) The following services shall be exempted from the requirement for authorisation referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article:
(a) “closed-door tours”: that is, services whereby the same vehicle is used to carry the same group of passengers throughout the journey and to bring them back to the place of departure;
(b) “inward services”: that is, services on which a group of passengers is brought into the territory of the other Contracting Party for a temporary stay and the passenger vehicle leaves that territory empty or on a service covered by (c) below;
(c) “outward services”: that is, services on which a passenger vehicle is used to enter the territory of the other Contracting Party empty or on a service covered by (b) above and carries to the territory in which the carrier is authorised a group of passengers each of whom:
(i) has been carried to the territory of the other Contracting Party by the carrier and
(ii) before being so carried, had concluded a contract for both journeys in the territory of the Contracting Party in which the carrier is authorised;
(d) the transit of the territory of the other Contracting Party by an empty passenger vehicle in the course of a journey to or from a third country;
(e) the replacement of a passenger vehicle which has become unserviceable by a serviceable one.
GOODS TRANSPORT
ARTICLE 4
Authorised Carriage of Goods
Subject to Article 5 of this Agreement, a carrier authorised in the territory of one Contracting Party shall be permitted, without being required to obtain a permit or other authorisation for that purpose in accordance with the laws of the other Contracting Party, to import an empty or laden goods vehicle temporarily into the territory of the other Contracting Party for the purpose of the carriage of goods, including return loads,
(a) between any point in the territory of one Contracting Party and any point in the territory of the other Contracting Party;
(b) in transit across the territory of the other Contracting Party; and
(c) between any point in the territory of the other Contracting Party, and any point in the territory of a third country.
ARTICLE 5
Special Permits
Each Contracting Party may require a special permit for the use in its territory of any vehicle which by reason of its weight or dimensions or those of its load may not otherwise lawfully be used on roads in the territory of that Contracting Party.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 6
Taxation
(1) Goods vehicles and passenger vehicles which are registered in the territory of one Contracting Party and are temporarily imported into the territory of the other Contracting Party shall be exempt from the taxes and charges levied on the road use or possession of vehicles and from taxes and charges levied on transport operations carried out in the territory of the other Contracting Party.
(2) The exemption referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article shall be granted in the territory of each Contracting Party so long as the conditions laid down in the Customs regulations in force in that territory for the temporary admission of such vehicles into that territory without payment of import duties and import taxes are fulfilled.
(3) The exemption referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article shall not apply to taxes and charges included in the price of fuel or to tolls or charges for the use of particular bridges, tunnels, ferries, roads, sections of road or classes of road.
(4) The fuel contained in the ordinary supply tanks of a vehicle shall be exempt from taxes and duties.
(5) Spare parts temporarily imported into the territory of the other Contracting Party, intended for the breakdown service of vehicles operating within the framework of this Agreement, shall be exempt from Customs duties and from other import charges and taxes in accordance with Customs regulations. Replaced spare parts shall be re-exported or destroyed under the control of the competent Customs authorities of the other Contracting Party.
ARTICLE 7
Exclusion of Cabotage
Nothing in this Agreement shall be held to permit a carrier authorised in the territory of one Contracting Party to pick up passengers or goods at a point in the territory of the other Contracting Party for setting down or delivery at any other point in that territory.
ARTICLE 8
Compliance with National Laws
Except where otherwise provided in Agreements between the Contracting Parties, including this Agreement:
(a) carriers and drivers of one Contracting Party and passenger vehicles as defined in Article 1(2) of this Agreement and goods vehicles as defined in Article 1(3) of this Agreement shall, when in the territory of the other Contracting Party, comply with national laws and regulations in force in that territory concerning road transport and road traffic;
(b) neither of the Contracting Parties shall impose on passenger or goods vehicles of the other Contracting Party requirements which are more restrictive than those applied by its national laws and regulations to its own vehicles.
ARTICLE 9
Infringements
(1) In the event of any infringement of the provisions of this Agreement by a vehicle or driver of one Contracting Party when in the territory of the other Contracting Party, the competent authority of the Contracting Party in whose territory the infringement occurred may (without prejudice to any lawful sanctions which the courts or enforcement authorities of that Contracting Party may apply) request the competent authority of the other Contracting Party to:
(a) issue a warning to the carrier in question;
(b) issue such a warning together with a notification that subsequent infringement will lead to a temporary or permanent exclusion of vehicles owned or operated by that carrier from the territory of the Contracting Party in which the infringement occurred; or
(c) issue a notice of such exclusion.
(2) The competent authority receiving any such request shall comply therewith and shall as soon as possible inform the competent authority of the other Contracting Party of the action taken.
FINAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 10
Joint Committee
At the request of either competent authority, representatives of both Contracting Parties shall meet as a Joint Committee to review the operation of the Agreement.
ARTICLE 11
Entry into Force and Duration
(1) This Agreement shall enter into force when the Contracting Parties have notified each other that the constitutional requirements pertaining to the entry into force of the Agreement in their territories have been fulfilled. The Agreement shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the later of these two notifications.
(2) This Agreement shall remain in force for a period of one year after its entry into force. Thereafter, it shall continue in force unless it is terminated by either Contracting Party giving six months’ notice thereof in writing to the other Contracting Party.
In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.
Done in duplicate at Prague this thirtieth of May 2000, in the Slovene and English languages, each text being equally authoritative.
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