ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(74)1175
Vol.1974/0188

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-COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(74)1175final
Brussels.24July1974
Proposaifora
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
modifyingtheCouncilDirectiveof6February1970
ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStates
relatingtothepermissible soundlevelandthe
exhaustsystemofmotorvehicles
(submittedtotheCouncil "bytheCommission)
COM(74)1175final

EXPLANATORY MEEaRAJTDOK
GENERAL
Theapplication oftheprovisions ofCouncil Directive of6February 1970
(70/157/EEC)relating tothepermissible sound level and .theexhaust sys­
temofmotor vehicles (l)hasalready ledtoasignificant reduction in
thenoise nuisance inurban centres oftheCommunity .This istobefur­
ther reinforced bytheapplication oftheprovisions ofCommission Direc­
tive of7November 1973 (73/350/EEC)which adapts theabove-mentioned
Directive totechnical progress inexhaust systems .
However ,thecontinued increase inthenumber ofvehicles ontheroad has
made partially inefficient the effect ofthese provisions .This situa­
tion ,together with increased demands toprotect theurban population and
environment against noise nuisance ,mean3 that thelimits permitted inthe
first Directive must henceforth bemade more stringent .
Furthermore ,on20June 1973 and 5September 1973 respectively ,theGover -
ments ofFrance andtheUnited Kingdom informed theCommission oftheir
interest inasubstantial reduction ofthepresent limits andinvited the
Commission toezamine thecorresponding ,possibilities .Inaddition a .
noise reduction isalready contained inthedeclaration ofthe Council
on22November 1976 relating totheCommunity Action Programme on
Environment .
Given that theprovisions .oftheDirective of6February 1970 exclude
noise level limits from theprocedure foradaptation totechnical progress ,
theCommission hasdravm upthis proposal foraDirective having first
consulted experts 'from the Ilember States intheWorking Group "Removal
oftechnical barriers totrade ".
•/
(!)O.J. oftheEuropean Communities N°L42,23February 1970 ,p.16.

Asaresult ofthese consultations and'inview ofthecomplexity ofthe
problem ,itwasagreed toprovide forboth short-term andlonger-term
action .
v .
Theshort-term programme -which isthesubject ofthis proposal fora
directive -aims ataninitial reduction inthepresent limits -without
changing thetest method andinaccordance with thesame vehicle classi­
fication scheme ,laid down intheDirective already adopted .Theaimof
thelonger-term programme istofind anewmethod ofnoise measurement
which reflects the actual conditions inwhich vehicles areused inurban traffic
and will ,onthebasis oftheresults ofcurrent studies andresearch and in
accordance with theprocedure laid down foradaptation totechnical progress ,
lead tofurther amendments totheDirective of6February 1970 .
With respect totheshort-term action ,theresults ofmeetings with national
experts andtheinterested professional bodies have enabled theCommission
departments responsible togather theinformation necessary todraw upthis
proposal foradirective .Thelatter isbased onthefact that technical
progress inautomobile construction hasledtoasignificant reduction in
vehicle noise level .Theproposed reductions do,however ,take account of
the need toallow modifications tobemade tothe above mentioned test
method ,theeffect ofwhich will betomalce thespecifications forsome
types ofcareven more stringent .Forthis reason thereduction proposed
forother types ofvehicle isgreater andmayboasmuch asfour decibels
forbuses ,i.e. ,areduction ofabout 50 Indeed ,theCommission conside­
redthat itispossible tofurther reduce thelimits forthese vehicles ,inview
oftheir major contribution tourban traffic noise andalso with aview
toreducing thegapbetween thelimits permitted forthevarious categories
ofvehicle .
IntheCommission 'sview ,this reduction forbuses isnomore than afirst
step andistobefollowed byfurther significant reductions aimed atkeeping
thesound emissions from these vehicles toaminimum ;this will betechnolo­
gically feasible assoon ascertain design features arewidely adopted ..

-3-
Article1ofthisproposalforadirectivewillenablethetableofpermis­
siblelimitsforthevariouscategoriesofvehicle(whichisgiveninAnnexI
oftheDirectiveof6February1970(70/157/EEC)tobereplacedbythatin
themodifyingdirective.
Article2fixesthetimelimitsfortheadoption,publication andapplication
ofthesenewprovisions.
II.CONSULTATIONS WITHTHEEUROPEAN PARLIAI1ENT AMTHEECONOMIC AMDSOCIALCOMMITTEE
UndertheprovisionsofArticle100(2)oftheEECTreaty,theopinionofthese
twobodiesisrequired.
Theimplementation oftheprovisionslaiddownbythedirectivemeansthatall
MemberStateswillhavetoamendtheirlegislation .

-4-
TEECOUNCILOPTHEEUROFEJiNCOIEUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,
andinparticularArticle100thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
HavingregardtotheCouncilDirective(70/157/EBC)of6February1970on
theapproximation ofthelawsofMemberStatesrelatingtothepermissible
soundlevelandtheexhaustsystemofmotorvehicles(l),amendedbythe
ActofAccession(2)providesinitsAnnexforthepermissiblelimitsof
noiselevelofmotorvehiclesintendedforuseontheroadwithorwithout
bodyworkhavingatleastfourwheelsandamaximumdesignspeedexceeding
25km/hwiththeexceptionofvehicleswhichrunonrailoragricultural
tractorsandmachineryandengineeringplant;
VJhereastheprotectionofthegeneralpublicandoftheurbanenvironment
fromnoisenuisancerequiressuitablemeasurestoreducethenoiselevel
ofmotorvehiclesandwhereasareductionhasbeenmadepossiblebytechni­
calprogressinautomobileconstruction ;
KhereastothispurposeitissuitedtomodifytheAnnexofthebefore
mentionedDirectivebyreducingthevaluesexpressedindB(A)ofthenoise
levelofeverycategoryofvehicleconcernedbytheaboveAnnex;
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE
–-_ – ...«*«V1Am-NT–11 «iArtA /"(1)O.J.oftheEuropeanCommunities N°L42,23February1970,p.16.
(2;O.J.oftheEuropeanCommunities N°L73,27Harch1972,pp.115and157•
(3)O.J.oftheEuropeanCommunities N°C112of20December1973.

-5-
Article 1
IntheiinnextotheCouncilDirectiveof6February1970(70/157/EIDC)the
tableofheading1.1entitled"Limits",isreplacedbythefollowingone:
vehiclecategoryValueexpressedinjdB(A) I
(decibels (A))■
!T.1.1.
1.1.2.
1.1.3.
1.1.4.
1.1.5.
1.1.6.
1.1.7.vehiclesintendedforthecarriageof
passengers andcomprisingnotmorethan
nineseatsincludingthedriver'sseat.
Vehiclesintendedfor'thecarriageof
passengers ,comprising morethannine
seatsincludingthedriver'sseat,and
havingapermissible maximumweight
notexceeding3.5metrictons.
Vehiclesintendedforthecarriageof
goodsandhavingapermissible maximum
weightnotexceeding3.5«metrictons.
Vehiclesintendedforthecarriageof
passengers ,comprising morethannine
seatsincludingthedriver'sseat,and
havingapermissible maximumweight
exceeding3.5«metrictons.
Vehiclesintendedforthecarriageof
goodsandhavingapermissible maximum
weightexceeding3.5metrictons.
Vehiclesintendedforthecarriageof
passengers ,comprising morethannine
seatsincludingthedriver'sseat,and
havinganenginepowerequaltoorex­
ceeding200HPDIN.
Vehiclesintendedforthecarriageof
goodsormaterials,havinganengine
powerequaltoorexceeding200HPDIN
andapermissible maximumweightexcee­
ding12metrictons.80
81
81
85
85
87
83

Article 2
Witheffectfrom1October1975theMemberStatesshallnot,ongrounds
relatingtothepermissible sound,levelendtheexhaustsystem:
-refuseEEC"type-approval ,orthedeliveryofthedocumentreferredtoin
Article10(l).,secondindent,oftheCouncilDirectiveof6February1970
(70/156/EEC)orthenationaltype-approvalforanytypeofmotorvehicle,
-orprohibittheentryintoserviceofvehicles,
ifthesoundlevelandtheexhaustsystemofthistypeofvehicleorof.
thesevehiclescomplywiththeprovisionsoftheCouncilDirectiveof6
February1970(70/157/EEC)aslast'amendedbythisDirective.
Witheffectfrom1April1976,theMemberStates:
-shallnolongerissuethedocumentenvisagedinArticle10(l),second
indent,oftheCouncilDirectiveof6February1970(70/156/EEC)foraty-
;peofvehiclethesoundlevelandtheexhaustsystemofwhichdonotcom­
plywiththeprovisionsoftheCouncilDirectiveof6February1970(70
'/157/eEC)aslastamendedbythisDirective,
-mayrefusethenationaltype-approval of-atypeofvehiclethesoundlevel
andtheexhaustsystemofwhichdonotcomplywiththeprovisionsofthe
CouncilDirectiveof6February1970(70/l57/E3C)aslastamendedbythis
Directive.
\
Kitheffectfro1October1976theKemberStatesmayprohibitthefirsten­
tryintoserviceofvehiclesthesoundlevelandexhaustsystemofwhichdo
notcomplywiththeprovisionsoftheCouncilDirectiveof6February1970
(70/157/EEC)aslastamendedbythisDirective.

-7-
Article3
TheMemberStatesshalladoptandpublishthoprovisionsnecessaryinorder
tocomplywiththisDirectivebefore1October1975&ndshallforthwith
informtheCommissionthereof.
Article4
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtoalltheMemberStates.
DoneatBrussels,