Report on the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 1214/2011 on the professional cross-border transport of euro cash by road between euro-area Member States

The introduction of the euro has increased the need for cross-border transport of cash by road in euro area Member States. Within the euro area, banks, the retail sector and other professional cash handlers should be able to contract with cash-in-transit ('CIT') companies that offer the best price and/or service and to take advantage of the cash services of the nearest national central bank branch or CIT cash centre, even it it is located in another Member State.

Furthermore, Member States whose currency is the euro ('participating Member States') have arranged or may want to arrange for euro banknotes and coins to be produced abroad. Retailers and banks located in border areas may wish to obtain their supplies from the cash centre nearest to them, which is not necessarily in the same Member State. The very principle of a single currency implies the freedom to move cash between participating Member States.

A full harmonisation of CIT transport in participating Member States was not considered feasible, nor was a system considered appropriate where authorisation in one Member State would be valid in all Member States ('mutual recognition'). Therefore, Regulation (EU) No 1214/2011 lays down a set of common rules valid in all Member States, without prejudice to national rules for certain aspects explicitly indicated in the Regulation. It does not involve full harmonisation as the common rules apply only to cross-border transport.

Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 1214/2011 requires the Commission to submit a report on its implementation to the European Parliament and the Council by 1 December 2016 and every five years thereafter. The report must, in particular, examine the possibility of establishing common training requirements for the carrying of arms by security staff of CIT companies and of amending Article 24 of that Regulation in the light of Directive 96/71/EC, take due account of technological progress in the area of IBNS, consider the potential added value of granting Union CIT licences on a group basis and assess whether Regulation (EU) No 1214/2011 should be revised accordingly.

For this review, based on questionnaires, the Commission consulted the stakeholders in the sector including the social partners as well as Member States. The report is based on the replies to the questionnaires and a consultation of the Member States in the meeting of 27 September 2016 of the Committee on cross-border transportation of euro cash.