Recital 2

(2)Council Directive 96/26/EC of 29 April 1996 on admission to the occupation of road haulage operator and road passenger transport operator and mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal qualifications intended to facilitate for these operators the right to freedom of establishment in national and international transport operations ⁴ lays down minimum conditions governing admission to the occupation of road transport operator and the mutual recognition of the documents required in this connection. However, experience, an impact assessment and various studies show that that Directive is being applied inconsistently by Member States. Such disparities have several adverse consequences, in particular a distortion of competition and a lack of market transparency and of uniform monitoring, as well as the risk that undertakings employing staff with a low level of professional qualification may be negligent in respect of, or less compliant with, the rules on road safety and social welfare, which may harm the image of the sector.