No C 102/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 24. 4. 89 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive (EEC) amending Directive 77/536/EEC on 
the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the roll-over protection 
structures of wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors 
(89/C 102/05) 
On 5 December 1988, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 100 A of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing 
the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 1 February 1989. The rapporteur 
was Mr Wick. 
At its 263rd plenary session (meeting of 22 February 1989) the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following Opinion by a unanimous vote. 
Gist of the Commission proposal 
The maximum mass of the tractors to which the Direc­
tive applies is to be increased from 4,5 to 6 tonnes. 
The Committee on the adaptation to technical progress 
of Directives on the removal of technical barriers to 
trade in the agricultural and forestry tractors sector is 
also to become an advisory committee. 
I. GENERAL COMMENTS 
1. Technical amendments 
1.1. The Committee welcomes the extension of the 
Directive's scope to tractors with a mass of up to 
6 tonnes. This will enable a larger number of agricul­
tural tractors to benefit from the advantages of Com­
munity rules and regulations. The Committee assumes 
that the extension of the Directive's scope will not have 
any adverse effects on occupational or road safety. 
2. Amending the procedure for adapting the Directive 
to technical progress 
2.1. The Committee acknowledges the Com­
mission's efforts to lay down a suitable procedure for 
adapting the provisions contained in the Annex to 
Council Directive 86/298/EEC to technical progress. 
Hitherto the procedure laid down in Directive 74/150/ 
EEC has been applied in accordance with Article 13 of 
Directive 86/298/EEC. Under this procedure the Com­
mittee on the adaptation to technical progress of Direc­
tives on the removal of technical barriers to trade in 
the agricultural and forestry tractors sector delivers its 
Opinion on Commission drafts. do not, the Commission presents the Council without 
delay with its proposal for the measures to be taken, 
and the Council acts by a qualified majority. 
2.3. This procedure for the adaptation of Com­
munity Directives has in the past proved its worth in 
connection with the Directives now under consideration 
and the motor vehicle sector in general, and has not 
hampered the adaptation of the Directives' Annexes to 
technical progress. There is therefore no need to switch 
to a committee with only an advisory role. 
2.4. The Committee would also point out that a 
Commission proposal of 19 January 1987 on amending 
Article 13 of Directive 74/150/EEC was unanimously 
rejected by the Internal Market Council on 5 March 
1988. The Council adopted a common position on this 
matter on 30 November 1987 stating that 'it was very 
widely felt that the procedure currently in force oper­
ated satisfactorily in the sector concerned and that there 
were therefore no grounds for altering it'. 
II. SPECIFIC COMMENTS 
Article 1(1) 
Approval is given to the extension of the Directive's 
scope to tractors with a maximum unladen weight of 
6 tonnes. At present the limit is 4,5 tonnes. 
This extension brings the Directive into line with the 
corresponding test code of the Organization for Econ­
omic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and 
standard 3463 of the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO). 
Article 1(2) and (3) 
2.2. The Commission adopts the planned measures 
if they accord with this Committee's Opinion. If they The Committee rejects the introduction of a new pro­
cedure giving the adaptation Committee a purely advis-
24. 4. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 102/9 
ory role. The adaptation Committee procedure used to 
date has achieved results and in particular has provided 
considerable expertise during the preparation of Com­
munity legislation. This procedure should be retained 
for the sake of its clarity, simplicity and speediness. 
Done at Brussels, 22 February 1989. 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee welcomes this proposal for a 
Directive. It notes that the essential aim of the proposal 
is to harmonize the composition and the levels of trace 
elements in fertilizers. 
1.2. This is therefore not an environmental protec­
tion Directive, although environmental protection is 
involved (see, in particular, the end of Article 4, and 
Article 5). 
(•) OJ No C 304, 29. 11. 1988, p. 8. Article 2 
The Committee would point out that Community 
Directives usually enter into force eighteen months after 
adoption and publication in the Member States. The 1 
October 1989 deadline seems to the Committee to be 
unrealistic. Bearing in mind the facts it therefore pro­
poses that the Directive enter into force one year after 
adoption and publication in the Member States. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
1.3. It should be noted that: 
— trace elements are important for the quality of crops 
and influence their quantity, 
— they should, however, be carefully dosed, to avoid 
residues which might find their way into the food 
chain. 
1.4. The introduction of 'complexed' trace elements 
is interesting in that the combination of these with 
chelating agents of organic origin makes it possible to 
reduce the dose of these trace elements significantly 
while increasing their effectiveness. Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States in respect of the trace elements boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, 
molybdenum and zinc contained in fertilizers (*) 
(89/C 102/06) 
On 11 November 1988 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 100 A of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing 
the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 1 February 1989. The rapporteur 
was Mr Proumens. 
At its 263rd plenary session (meeting of 22 February 1989) the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following Opinion unanimously.