EN    EN  
 EUROPEAN  
COMMISSION 
Brussels, XXX   
[…](2014) XXX  draft 
  
COMMISSION DIRECTIVE ../…/EU 
of XXX  
amending Council Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
  
EN 1   EN COMMISSION DIRECTIVE ../…/EU 
of XXX  
amending Council Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Council Directive 96/98/EC  of 20 December 1996 on marine equipment
1, 
and in particular Article 17 thereof, 
Whereas: (1) For the purposes of Directive 96/98/EC, the international conventions and testing 
standards should apply in their up-to-date versions. 
(2) A number of amendments to the interna tional conventions and applicable testing 
standards have entered into force since the adoption of the la st amending act to 
Directive 96/98/EC. Those amendments s hould be incorporated into Directive 
96/98/EC. 
(3) During the same period, the International Maritime Organisation and the European 
standardization organisations have also adopted standards,  including detailed testing 
standards, for a number of items of equi pment which are liste d in Annex A.2 to 
Directive 96/98/EC or which, al beit not listed, are consider ed relevant for the purpose 
of that Directive. Therefore such items of equipment shoul d be included in Annex A.1 
or transferred from Annex A.2 to Annex A.1, as appropriate. 
(4) Directive 96/98/EC should ther efore be amended accordingly. 
(5) It is reasonable to allow equipment newl y subject to harmonised requirements under 
this Directive and manufactured before the expiry of the time-limit for the implementation of this Directive to be placed on the market and on board a Community ship during a transitional period. 
(6) The measures provided for in this Directiv e are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Committee on Safe Seas and the Preven tion of Pollution from Ships (COSS), 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
Annex A to Directive 96/98/EC is replaced by the text in the Annex to this Directive. 
Article 2 
Equipment listed in column 1 of Annex A.1 as  having been transferred from Annex A.2 
which was manufactured before [ one year from the date of entr y into force] in conformity 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 46, 17.2.1996, p. 25.  
EN 2   EN with procedures for type-approval  already in force before that date within the territory of a 
Member State, may continue to be placed on th e market and on board a Community ship until 
[three years from the date of entry into force]. 
Article 3 
1. Member States shall adopt and publish, by [ one year from the date of entry into 
force] at the latest, the laws, regulations  and administrative provisions necessary to 
comply with this Directive. They sha ll forthwith communicate to the Commission 
the text of those provisions. 
They shall apply those provisions from [one year from the date of entry into force]. 
When Member States adopt those provisions,  they shall contain a reference to this 
Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determin e how such reference is to be made. 
2. Member States shall communicate to the Co mmission the text of the main provisions 
of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive. 
Article 4 
This Directive shall enter into force on the tw entieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of  the European Union . 
Article 5 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
 For the Commission 
 The President