. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/91 
16 September 2005 
 (05-4096) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   European Commission 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:    
European Commission, 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point, 
Fax:  (+32) 229 98043 
E-mail:  ec-tbt@cec.eu.int 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 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):    
Compaction machines (vibrating rollers, vibratory plates, vibratory rammers); 
Tracked dozers; tracked loader s, tracked excavator-loaders; 
Wheeled dozers, wheeled loader s, wheeled excavator-loaders, dumpers, graders, loader-type 
landfill compactors, combustion-engine, driven c ounter-balanced lift trucks, mobile cranes, 
compaction machines (non-vibrating rollers), paver-finishers, hydraulic power packs; 
Excavators, builders’ hoists for the transport of goods, construction winches, motor hoes; 
Hand-held concrete-breakers and picks, 
Tower cranes; 
Welding and power generators, 
Compressors; 
Lawnmowers, lawn trimmers/lawn-edge trimmers.  
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   8429 40 10, 8479 10 00, 
8467 89 00, 8429 10 00, 8429 51 10 to 8429 51 99, 8427 2011 to 8427 20 90, 8479 10 00, 8467 89 00 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposal for a 
Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/14/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors (18 pages, in English) G/TBT/N/EEC/91 
Page 2  
 6. Description of content:   This proposal provides for an amendment to European Parliament 
and Council Directive 2000/14/EC of 8 May 2000  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to the noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors ("Noise Directive"). 
 The Noise Directive became applicable on a voluntary basis on 3 July 2001.  Since 
3 January 2002 the fifty-seven types of equi pment within its scope must satisfy the 
requirements of the Noise Directive before being placed on the market or put into service 
within the European Community. 
 The objective of the Noise Directive is to guarantee the free movement of the 
equipment within its scope whilst reducing perm issible noise levels for such equipment in 
order to protect the health and well-being of c itizens as well as the environment.  In parallel, 
it also has the objective of providing information to citizens on noise emissions of such 
equipment thereby improving customer choice.  It sets maximum permissible sound power levels and mandatory noise em ission labelling for twenty-two types of equipment and 
mandatory noise emission labelling for the remaining thirty-five types of equipment. 
 For those types of equipment where permissible sound power levels apply there are 
two stages of application.  The first came into force on 3 January 2002 (“stage I”); the 
second series of reduced limits is due to come into operation on 3 January 2006 (“stage II”). 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  
 The proposal being notified pursues the following objectives: 
– To allow certain types of equipment (f or which clear evidence has been provided 
that the stage II limits are not presently tec hnically feasible) to be placed on the market 
and/or put into service in the European Community also after 3 January 2006; 
– To provide the Commission with sufficien t time to fulfil its obligations under 
Articles 16 and 20 of the Noise Directive; 
– To allow for the incorporation of the Re port foreseen in Article 20(3) into the 
Report foreseen in Article 20(1) of the Noise Directive. 
8. Relevant documents:   - Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the 
Council amending Directive 2000/14/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoor; 
- Directive 2000/14/EC of the European Parlia ment and of the Council of 8 May 2000 on 
the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the noise emission in the 
environment by equipment for use outdoors. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }3 January 2006 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from date of notification 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [    ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
European Commission, 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point, 
Fax:  (+32) 2 299 8043 
E-mail:  ec-tbt@cec.eu.int