24. 4. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 102/5 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 86/298/EEC on rear-
mounted roll-over protection structures for narrow-track wheeled agricultural and forestry 
tractors (l) 
(89/C 102/03) 
On 8 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 proposed amendments to Council Directive 86/ 
298/EEC lay down provisions for an additional 
dynamic test if the first impact test causes significant 
tearing or cracking of the roll-over protection structure. 
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 proposal to add a test to the dynamic test 
procedure derives from the fact that at the time of the 
Directive's adoption in May 1986 the Council decided 
in Article 13 that a further Directive based on a Com­
mission proposal should lay down provisions for an 
additional dynamic impact test. 
1.2. The Commission has carried out detailed tests 
in specially equipped laboratories to check the 
reliability of its originally proposed test method. It 
concludes that this test method complies with safety 
requirements and is entirely adequate. For this reason 
it is resubmitting the originally proposed text in order to 
make the static and dynamic test procedures equivalent, 
thus eliminating the present imbalance. 
(') OJ No C 324, 17. 12. 1988, p. 14. 1.3. The Committee endorses the inclusion of the 
additional test in the dynamic test procedure. 
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. 
2.2. The Commission adopts the planned measures 
if they accord with this Committee's Opinion. If they 
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 pos­
ition on this matter on 30 November 1987 stating that 
'it was very widely felt that the procedure currently in 
force operated satisfactorily in the sector concerned and 
that there were therefore no grounds for altering it'. 
No C 102/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 24. 4. 89 
II. SPECIFIC COMMENTS 
Article 1(2) and (3) 
The Committee rejects the introduction of a new pro­
cedure giving the adaptation Committee a purely advis­
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. 
Gist of the Commission proposal 
The proposed amendments to Council Directive 86/ 
298/EEC lay down provisions for an additional 
(') OJNoC311, 6. 12. 1988, p. 9. Article 1(4) 
The Committee advocates the proposed amendments 
which are designed to put an end to the present imbal­
ance between the static and dynamic test procedures. 
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 
proposes 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 
dynamic test if the first impact test causes significant 
tearing or cracking of the roll-over protection structure. 
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. Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 87/402/EEC on roll­
over protection structures mounted in front of the driver's seat on narrow-track wheeled 
agricultural and forestry tractors (^ 
(89/C 102/04) 
On 8 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.