establishing the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union in the relevant Committees of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as regards the proposals for amendments to UN Regulations Nos. 10, 34, 41, 46, 48, 50, 51, 53, 55, 60, 73, 83, 94, 107, 110, 113, 118, 125, 128, 130 and 131 and the proposal for a new Regulation concerning the approval of quiet road transport vehicles (QRTV)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

•Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

At international level, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) develops harmonised requirements intended to remove technical barriers to the trade in motor vehicles between the Contracting Parties to the Revised 1958 Agreement and to ensure that such vehicles offer a high level of safety and environmental protection.

In accordance with Council Decision 97/836/EC of 27 November 1997, the Union acceded to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (“UNECE”) concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted to and/or be used on wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these prescriptions (“Revised 1958 Agreement”), and in accordance with Council Decision 2000/125/EC of 31 January 2000 concerning the conclusion of the Agreement concerning the establishing of Global Technical Regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or be used on wheeled vehicles ("Parallel Agreement"), the Union acceded to the Parallel Agreement.

The meetings of UNECE WP.29, the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations, are held three times in March, June and November of each calendar year. In each meeting session new UN Regulations, amendments to existing UN Regulations or UN Global Technical Regulations (UN GTRs) are adopted in order to allow for technical progress. Prior to each WP.29 meeting these amendments are adopted by one of the six working groups (GRs) active under WP.29.

Subsequently, in a WP.29 meeting the final vote for adoption of the amendments, supplements and corrigenda takes place, provided the quorum is reached and there is a qualified majority among contracting parties. The EU is a contracting party to two Agreements (1958 and 1998 Agreements) under WP.29. A Council Decision, referred to as "mega decision", containing the list of Regulations, amendments, supplements and corrigenda, is prepared each time and authorises the Commission to vote on behalf of the Union in each WP.29 meeting.

This Council Decision defines the Union's position in the voting of the Regulations, amendments, supplements and corrigenda submitted for vote in the March 2016 WP.29 meeting that will take place on 7 to 11 March 2016.

•Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area

This proposal complements and is fully in line with the Union's internal market policy as regards the automotive industry.

The WP.29 system strengthens international harmonization of vehicle standards. The 1958 Agreement plays a key role in this objective since EU manufacturers can operate to a common set of type approval Regulations in the knowledge that the product will be recognized by the Contracting Parties as being in conformity with its national legislation. This scheme has allowed for Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 on the general safety of motor vehicles to repeal more than 50 EU Directives and replace them with the corresponding Regulations developed under the 1958 Agreement.

A similar approach has been taken with Directive 2007/46/EC, which has replaced the approval systems of the Member States with a Union approval procedure and established a harmonised framework containing administrative provisions and general technical requirements for all new vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units. That Directive incorporated UN regulations in the EU type-approval system, either as requirements for type-approval or as alternatives to Union legislation. Since the adoption of that Directive, UN regulations have increasingly been incorporated into Union legislation in the framework of the EU type-approval.

•Consistency with other Union policies

The WP.29 system is linked to the Union policy on competiveness, on which this initiative has a positive impact. This proposal is also consistent with Union transport and energy policies, which are duly considered in the process for the drafting and adoption of the Regulations falling under the 1958 Agreement.

2.LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

•Legal basis

The legal basis for this proposal is Article 114, in conjunction with Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

•Subsidiarity

The vote in favour of international instruments like proposals for UN Regulations, amendments to UN Regulations and draft Global Technical Regulations and their incorporation into the Union system for the type-approval of motor vehicles can only be done by the Union. This does not only prevent fragmentation of the Internal Market, but also ensures equal health and safety standards across the Union. It also offers advantages of economies of scale: products can be made for the entire Union market and even the international market, instead of being customised to obtain national type-approval for every single Member State.