Article 4 — Use of primary and secondary data

1. Transport and hub entities and data intermediaries shall prioritise the use of primary data for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions from transport services. A Member State may provide that the use of primary data be compulsory for transport operations on its territory carried out by transport and hub entities, the number of employees of which exceeds a specific threshold set by national law, where the transport service starts and ends on its territory. The Member State shall not apply such a requirement to cross-border transport operations, including to transport operations in transit through its territory, or to SMEs. 2. Without prejudice to the State aid rules, Member States may introduce administrative, financial or operational incentives to stimulate the use of primary data. 3. The use of secondary data for calculating the greenhouse gas emissions from a transport service shall be allowed under the following conditions: (a) where default values for greenhouse gas emission intensities are derived from: (i) the core Union database of default values for greenhouse gas emission intensities (core Union database) referred to in Article 5; or (ii) databases and datasets of default values for greenhouse gas emission intensities operated by third parties in accordance with Article 6; (b) where default values for greenhouse gas emission factors for the transport energy carriers are derived from the central Union database of default values for greenhouse gas emission factors (central Union database) referred to in Article 7; (c) where modelled data rely on a model established in accordance with the common methodology referred to in Article 3(1), and, where appropriate, in accordance with the conditions for the use of secondary data set out in points (a) and (b) of this paragraph, and with the provisions regarding the use of calculation tools set out in Articles 8 and 11. In conformity with the common methodology, where transport and hub entities perform an ex ante calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from a specific transport service, they may use default values for greenhouse gas emission intensities established on the basis of primary data from a transport service of similar characteristics conducted by the same entities within the year preceding the ex ante calculation. 4. When transport and hub entities and data intermediaries use as input data the primary data that have already been used as a basis to establish output data that have been verified under other Union legal acts by an accredited body referred to in Article 16, the verification referred to in Article 12(1) shall not be required to address the sources of the input data used for the calculation as referred to in Article 13(2), point (b). 5. When calculating greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumed, transport and hub entities and data intermediaries may choose to use the market-based approach instead of the location-based secondary data, provided that the conditions set out in Annex J to the EN ISO standard are fulfilled.