Article 2
1. This Regulation shall apply to the carriage by road: (a) of goods where the maximum permissible mass of the vehicle, including any trailer, or semi-trailer, exceeds 3,5 tonnes, or (b) of passengers by vehicles which are constructed or permanently adapted for carrying more than nine persons including the driver, and are intended for that purpose. 2. This Regulation shall apply, irrespective of the country of registration of the vehicle, to carriage by road undertaken: (a) exclusively within the Community; or (b) between the Community, Switzerland and the countries party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. 3. The AETR shall apply, instead of this Regulation, to international road transport operations undertaken in part outside the areas mentioned in paragraph 2, to: (a) vehicles registered in the Community or in countries which are contracting parties to the AETR, for the whole journey; (b) vehicles registered in a third country which is not a contracting party to the AETR, only for the part of the journey on the territory of the Community or of countries which are contracting parties to the AETR. The provisions of the AETR should be aligned with those of this Regulation, so that the main provisions in this Regulation apply, through the AETR, to such vehicles for any part of the journey made within the Community.