G/TBT/N/EU/141  
 
8 August 2013  
(13-4224)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax:  +(32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  mailto:eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
Website:  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/    
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  L-category 
motor vehicles. 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:  Draft 
Commission delegated Regulation supplementing Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the vehicle construction and general 
requirements for the approval of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles (147 pages, in English).     
6. Description of content:  Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and 
of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the appr oval and market surveillance of two- or 
three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles sets out general requirements on the functional 
safety, environmental performance and vehicl e construction of these vehicle types and 
repeals 15 directives. The Commission is empowered to adopt the specific technical requirements and test procedures through delegated acts. 
This draft is the second delegated act, out of  a foreseen total of three. It sets out the 
specific requirements and test procedures in the area of vehicle construction. Many of these technical requirements and test procedures are carried over from the repealed 
Directives and, adapted, when necessary to technical progress. Others are newly 
developed in order to reflect the new vehicle construction provisions included in Regulation No 168/2013. 
As far as possible, the requirements are based or make directly reference to 
international requirements adopted und er the UNECE framework (Revised 1958 
Agreement). This is in line with the CARS 21 recommendation to strengthen international regulatory harmonisation and represents a clear benefit for manufacturers. G/TBT/N/EU/141 
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The term ‘L-category vehicles’ covers a wide range of different vehicle 
types with two, three or four wheels, e.g.  two- and three-wheeled mopeds, two- and 
three-wheeled motorcycles, motorcycles with side-cars and light four-wheeled vehicles 
(quadricycles) such as on-road quads and quadri-mobiles. 
Type-approval requirements applying to new L category vehicles are currently set out in 
Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parlia ment and of the Council of 18 March 2002 
relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheel motor vehicles (the Framework Directive). In addition, a series of Directives referred to in the Framework Directive 
contain detailed technical requirements relating to L-category vehicles. 
The Commission has identified the following key concerns as regards the current 
provisions for the type-approval of new L- category vehicles and these need to be 
addressed: 
- the complexity of the legal framework; 
- the level of emissions and their increase as a proportion of total road transport 
 emissions, which are decreasing overall; 
- vehicle functional safety aspects related to type-approval requirements; 
- the lack of a legal framework for vehicles fitted with new technologies; and 
- the availability on the internal market, and registration of, certain imported 
vehicles, systems, components or separate technical units which do not comply 
with the current type-approval requirements regarding vehicle functional safety and/or environmental protection. 
This proposal consolidates current type-approval requirements regarding the vehicle 
construction of L-category vehicles, updating them in line with technical progress and 
simplifying them as much as possible by referring to international requirements in this area (e.g. UNECE Regulations). The objective is to increase the level of protection of 
L-category vehicle riders as vulnerable road users, to improve the environmental 
performance of these vehicles as well as to clarify the vehicle construction requirements. 
8. Relevant documents:   Framework Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament 
and of the Council of 18 March 2002 relating to  the type-approval of two- or three-wheel 
motor vehicles and its technical measures listed in Annex I, currently into force: 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:124:0001:0044:EN:PDF . 
Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of 15 January 2013 on the approval and market 
surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles: 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:060:0052:0128:EN:PDF    
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    November 2013 1 January 2016 
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from notification 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresse s, if available of the other body:    
European Commission, EU-TBT Enquiry Point  
Fax:  +(32) 2 299 80 43  E-mail:  mailto:eu-tbt@e c.europa.eu   
The text is available on the EU-TBT Website:  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/   
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2013/TBT/EEC/13_3154_00_e.pdf