NoC79/4 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.3.92
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingDirective70/156/EEConthe
approximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtothetype-approvalofmotor
vehiclesandtheirtrailers(l)
(91/C79/02)
On14October1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforIndustry,Commerce,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon8January1992,inthelightof
theReportbyMrPearson.
Atits293rdplenarysession(meetingof29January1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
nationalapprovalsofeachvehicletype.Alignmentof
type-approvalproceduresisthereforeimportant.This
willbetotheadvantageofbothmanufacturers and
consumers,simplifyingtype-approval formanufac­
turerssellinginseveralCommunitymarkets.
2.2.Itisimportanttonotethattheprovisionsofthe
DirectivewillbemandatoryforMemberStates.The
largemajorityoftheseparateDirectivesareoptional
atthepresenttime.
2.3.TheCommitteecommendstheCommission for
ensuring,throughtheInformationRequirements in
AnnexIII,thattheverydifferentregistrationinfor­
mationrequiredinthevariousMemberStatesisavail­
able.TheCommittee,however,isawarethattheDirec­
tivehasnotthecompetencetodealwithharmonised
registrationproceduresandisoftheviewthatthe
Commissionshouldexaminethisproblemandtableits
proposals:untilthisisimplementedthebenefittothe
Communitycarpurchaserwillbelimited.Untilhar­
monisedregistrationproceduresareoperativethe
vehiclemanufacturers shouldcontinuetobepermitted
tobenefitfromoptionallyusingnationaltype-approval
systems.1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommissionpro­
posalforacomprehensive revisionoftheapproxi­
mationofthelawsrelatingtotype-approvalofmotor
vehiclesandtheirtrailersasamendmenttoDirectives
70/156/EEC(2)and87/403/EEC(3).Thecurrentpro­
posal,itisnoted,appliesonlytomotorvehiclesoftype
M.l(cars).
1.2.Asallbutthreeoftheforty-fourseparateDirec­
tivesconcerningtype-approvalofmotorvehicleshave
nowbeenacceptedbytheCouncil,itisoftheutmost
importancethattheoutstandingitems(windscreens,
tyresandvehicledimensions )beresolvedwithoutdelay.
ThiswillenableCommunitytype-approvalofacom­
pletevehicletobeundertaken .
1.3.ItissensibletohaveaCommunity-widehar­
monisedsystemfortype-approvalofmotorvehicles
andtheexemptiontermsforsingleorspecialtype
vehiclesarereasonable,takingcareofthecasesof
multi-stagebuiltvehiclesandvariantsandversionsof
basicallythesamemodelofcar,andvehiclesproduced
insmallseries.
1.4.TheCommitteesupportstheCommissioninthe
principleandtheobjectivesofthedraftDirectivesub­
jecttothecommentsandpracticaldifficultiessetout
below.
2.Generalcomments
2.1.Theproposalswillprovideanadministrative
systemthatwillpermitCommunity-wide type-approval
andthuseliminatethenecessityoftwelveseparate2.4.Existingapprovals
2.4.1.Theproposalshouldstateclearlythatallexist­
ingapprovalsasat31December1977willcontinueto
havefullvaliditywhiletherelevantvehiclesarein
production .
2.4.2.Approvalsgrantedaccordingtoseparate
Directiveswhicharepartofthenationaltype-approval
mentionedaboveshallremainvalidafter31December
1997unlessoneoftheconditionslaiddownin
Article5(3)applies.Equally,MemberStates'dero­
gations,toallowthesaleofvehicleandcomponent
stocks,shouldbepermitteduntilsuchstocksare
exhausted .(!)C)JNoC301 ,21.11.1991,p.1.
(2)OJNoL42,23.2.1970.
(3)OJNoL220,8.8.1987.

30.3.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC79/5
3.1.2.Article1(oldArt.7,para.3)
TheMemberStateshouldcontinuetohaveto'demon­
strate'therisktosafetyratherthan'find'sucharisk.
3.1.3.Article1[oldArt.8,2(b)]
Thisparagraphshouldbemodifiedtoagreewith
Article8,2(a),concerningvehiclesproducedinsmall
series.2.5.Thirdcountryimports,bothnewandused
vehicles,mustconformtothesafetyandotherrequire­
mentsoftheexistingseparateDirectives.Thiswill
requirethat,before1January1993,MemberStates'
legislationbealigned,andimportarrangements also
coordinated ,sothatregistrationinonecountrycan
facilitatetheuseofthevehicleinanotherinconformity
withthearrangements .
2.6.TheCommitteeagainpointstotheresponsi­
bilityofeachMemberStatetomonitortheroadworthi­
nessrequirementsoftheDirectivesasitistheillmain­
tainedvehicleswhichcausemostpollutionorwhich
maybeunsafe.
2.7.ItisnotedthatthereisnoprovisioninAnnexI
forthetolerancespermittedbetweenthetype-approval
vehiclesandactualvehiclesproducedbythemanufac­
turersintheindustry.Thisprovisionshouldbepro­
videdinlinenormalindustrialpractice(eg.'TheToler­
anceCatalogue'oftheGermanStVZO)(*).
2.8.Owingtotheprovisionsofthetransitional
optionalsystemoftype-approval theCommittee
believesthattheCommissionshouldproduceanannual
reportontheoperationofthesystem,particularlyfor
theuseofmotorvehiclemanufacturers .Itwouldbe
essentialtohaveatleastonesuchreportby31Decemb­
er1995.3.1.4.Article 1(oldArt.11.6)
Addtothisparagraph :'Shouldsuchasettlementnot
beachievedthenthedisputeshouldbereferredtothe
AdaptationtoTechnicalProgressCommitteewhoshall
makethedecision.'
2.9.Duetothenumberofdetailedrequirements
includedintheseparateDirectives,theCommission
shouldproduceacomprehensive andintelligibleCom­
pendiumofallthemotorvehicleDirectivesassoon
astheupdatedtype-approval Directiveisadoptedby
Council.
3.Specificcomments3.2.Article1(oldArt.14)
ThisArticleprovideschangesin'TheCommitteePro­
cedure'.TheCommissionisnowtobe'assistedbya
Committeeofanadvisorynature'andthisisnotan
acceptablealterationtothebasicDirective.TheCom­
mitteestronglyadherestotheviewthattheTechnical
AdaptationCommitteeshouldcontinuetobedecision
makingonmattersconcerningtechnicalproposals,
beingtheappropriatebodytodealwiththesematters.
TheproposedArticleshouldbechangedsothatthe
TechnicalAdaptationCommitteecanretainitscurrent
functionandpowers.
3.3.Annexes
TheAnnexesaredetailed,technicalandextensive.A
numberneedtobereviewedandbroughtuptodate
andtheCommitteerecommendsthatsomedefinitions
takeaccountofthelatestRegulationsoftheEconomic
CommissionforEurope(ECE).Neverthelessthereare
somerelevantgeneralremarks:
3.3.1.AnnexIII(PartII)
ItisrecognisedthattheCommissionwasrequestedto
establishinformationrequirementsforMemberStates
inrelationtothe'computationofapplicabletaxes'.
ThisservicehasbeenprovidedbutinfacteachMember
Statehasitsownapproachtothefiscalprovisionsand
taxationfrommotorvehicles.ThisDirectiveshould
notmakeexplicitreferencetotaxation.
3.3.2.AnnexXI(ElectricVehicles)
Owingtotheimpossibilityofapplyingallthedetailed
testrequirementslaiddowninthisAnnextoelectrically
poweredvehicles,thistypeofcarshouldcontinueto
behomologatedatMemberStatelevelforthetime
being.3.1.Article1
ThisArticleembracesreplacementsofalltheArticles1
to16inthepreviousDirective.
3.1.1.Article 1(oldArt.5.5)
Thewordingshouldbealteredtoincludethedateof
thelastvehiclemanufactured asanalternativetothe
identificationnumber,thechoicetobemadebythe
manufacturer .
(')StVZO—Strafienverkehrszulassungsordnung (RoadTraffic
TypeApprovalLaw).

NoC79/6 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 30.3.92
3.3.3.2.TheCommitteebelievesthatthe'manufac­
turer'stypedesignation'mustbeincludedin'essential
respects'toallowflexibilityforsmallermanufacturers
toobtainvehiclehomologation .3.3.3.AnnexXII
3.3.3.1.Article8makesspecialprovisionforvehicles
producedinsmallseries.TheCommitteeunderstands
thattheCommissionproposalsmeanthat'500units'
shouldbeinterpretedas'500unitsperMemberState
peryear'.
DoneatBrussels,29January1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)concerningmeasuresforthe
preventionofspecificzoonosesandofspecificzoonoticagentsinanimalsandproductsof
animalorigininordertopreventoutbreaksoffood-borneinfectionsandintoxications (])
(92/C79/03)
On15November1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon9January1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrProumens .
Atits293rdplenarysession(meetingof29January1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
TheCommitteeapprovestheCommissionproposal
subjecttothecommentsandquestionssetoutinthis
Opinion.1.2.Theycanbesubdividedintotwogroups:
—diseasesinrespectofwhichmeasureshavealready
beenadoptedatCommunitylevel,andnotification
bytheMemberStatesrequested,
—diseasesorinfectionswhicharenotyetsystemati­
callymonitored.
1.3.TheCommissionproposalisaimedatthree
kindsofproduct:
a)theanimalsthemselvesandeggsultimatelydestined
forhumanconsumption ;
b)foodstuffsofanimalorigin(animalorpoultrymeat)
andcheese;1.General
1.1.Thediseasesandinfectionstransmittedfrom
vertebrateanimalstoman,knownaszoonoses,are
listedinAnnexItotheproposal.However,notall
possiblezoonosesarelistedintheAnnexorreferredto
inthetextoftheproposal.
(!)OJNoC253,27.9.1991,p.13. c)finishedcompoundanimalfeedingstuffs .