Re-examined proposal for a COUNCIL DIRECTIVE laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic
Date: 1996-05-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: commercial vehicle, common transport policy, inland transport, international transport, weight and size

if 

it 

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  14.05.1996 
COM(96)  208  final  -  486  SYN 

Re-examined proposal  for a 

COUNCIL  DIRECTIVE 

LAYING DOWN FOR CERTAIN  ROAD VEHICLES CIRCULATING  WITHIN THE 

COMMUNITY  THE MAXIMUM  AUTHORISED DIMENSIONS  IN NATIONAL AND 

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC AND THE MAXIMUM  AUTHORISED WEIGHTS IN 

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC 

(presented  by  the  Commission  pursuant to  Article  189 c  (d) 
of  the EC  Treaty) 

Re-examined  proposal  for a 

COUNCIL  DIRECTIVE 

LAYING DOWN FOR CERTAIN  ROAD VEHICLES  CIRCULATING  WITHIN THE 

COMMUNITY  THE MAXIMUM  AUTHORISED  DIMENSIONS  IN NATIONAL AND 

INTERNATIONAL  TRAFFIC AND THE MAXIMUM  AUTHORISED WEIGHTS IN 

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC 

On  14 March  1996 the European Parliament  amended the Common  Position adopted by the Council 

on 8 December  1995 on the above-mentioned  proposal. The three amendments  of the Parliament  are 

annexed. 

Under Article  189C, subparagraph (d) of the EC Treaty the Commission has reexamined  its proposal 

and has decided to accept  Amendment  No.  1. 

As regards  amendments  2 and  3 Article 4(6) of the proposal  states 

"Member  States may  allow vehicles or vehicle combinations  used for  goods transport  and  registered 

or put  into circulation before  the  implementation  of this Directive to circulate  in their territory  until 

31 December 2006 with dimensions  exceeding those bid down in points  1.1,  1.2,  1.4 to  1.8,4.2 and 

4.4  of Annex I by virtue of differing  national provisions  or methods  of  measurement." 

Given that this article can allow existing  registered  vehicles and vehicle combinations  to continue to 

operate  until  the  end  of  2006  the  Commission  does  not  feel  that  amendments  2  and  3  seeking 

additional  derogations  are  appropriate.  In particular,  to  allow  derogations  beyond  2006 jeopardises 

the objective  of harmonisation  and also has negative  consequences  for  manufacturers  adapting their 

production  to meet  the Directive. 

Amendments  2 and  3 are,  thus,  not acceptable to the Commission. 

The  Commission,  therefore,  proposes  to  amend  the  Common  Position  by  the  inclusion  of  a  new 

recital  15a,  as  follows: 

Common position  of  the Council 

Revised  Proposal 

Recital  15a (new) 

Whereas,  to prevent  excessive  road 

damage and  to ensure  manoeuvrability, 

when authorizing  and using  vehicles 

preference  should  be given to pneumatic 

or  equivalent  suspension  rather  than 

mechanical  suspension,  certain  maximum 

axle loads  should  not be exceeded,  and 

the vehicle must  be capable of  turning 

through  360'  within certain  limit  values 

for  the path  followed; 

EUROPEAN 

PARLIAMENT 

27 February  1996 

A4-0044/1 

AMENDMENT 1 
tabled by the Committee on Transport and Tourism 

RECOMMENDATION FOR SECOND READING 
Rapporteur: Mr Wijsenbeek 

(A4-0044/96) 

MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS OF ROAD VEHICLES 

Common position of the Council 
(C4-0004/96 - 00/0486(SYN)) 

Common position of the Council 

Amendment 

(Amendment 1) 
Recital  15a (new) 

Whereas,  tP  Prevent  excessiye  road 
damage and to ensure manoeuvrability. 
when  authorising  gn<a  using  vehicles 
preference  should  be  given  tP 
pneumatic  or  equivalent  suspension 
rather  than  mechanical  suspension, 
certain maximum axle loads should not 
be exceeded, and the vehicle must be 
capable  of  turning  through  3$Q° 
within  certain  limit  values  for  the 
path followed; 

EUROPEAN 

PARLIAMENT 

27 February  1996 

A4-0044/2 

AMENDMENT 2 
tabled by the Committee on Transport and Tourism 

RECOMMENDATION FOR SECOND READING 
Rapporteur: Mr Wijsenbeek 

MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS OF ROAD VEHICLES 

Common position of the Council 
(C4-0004/96 - 00/0486(SYN)) 

(A4-0044/96) 

Common position of the Council 

Amendment 

(Amendment 2) 
Article 4(6a) (new) 

fchg 

Before 

ens!  _oJ 

£&. 
£he_ 
transitional  period  referred  to in 
paragraph  6.  the  Commission  shall 
report on anv  exemptions promoted bv 
developments  which  it  should  be 
possible  4&  grant  even  after  il 
December  2006 and, if necessary, put 
forward proposals  thereon. 

EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT 

12 March 1996 

A4-0044/3 

AMENDMENT 3 
by Mr Wijsenbeek, on behalf of the ELDR group 

RECOMMENDATION  FOR SECOND READING 
by Mr Wijsenbeek 
MAXIMUM  AUTHORIZED WEIGHTS AND DIMENSIONS FOR CERTAIN ROAD VEHICLES 

(A4-0044/96) 

Common position of the Council C4-0004/96 - 00/0486(SYN) 

Common position of the Council 

Amendment 

(Amendment  3) 
Recital 14 

Whereas  the maximum  authorized width 
of  2,50 m  for  vehicles  intended  for 
the  carriage  of  goods  can  leave 
insufficient  internal  space  for  the 
efficient  loading  of  pallets,  which 
has given rise to the application of 
different  tolerances  beyond  that 
level  in  the  legislation  of  the 
Member  States  concerning  domestic 
traffic; whereas a general adaptation 
to the current situation is therefore 
necessary  in  order  to  provide  for 
clarity  in  technical  requirements, 
bearing  in  mind  the  road  safety 
aspects of these characteristics; 

Whereas the maximum  authorized  width 
of  2,50  m  for vehicles  intended  for 
the carriage of goods and the maximum 
lengths  laid  down  in  point  1.1  of 
Annex  I  can  leave  insufficient 
internal  space  for  the  efficient 
loading  of  pallets,  which  has  given 
rise to the application of different 
tolerances  beyond  that  level  in  the 
legislation  of  the  Member  States 
concerning domestic  traffic;  whereas 
a  general  adaptation  to  the  current 
situation  is  therefore  necessary  in 
order  to  provide  for  clarity  in 
technical  requirements,  bearing  in 
mind the road safety aspects of these 
characteristics; 

€ 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(96) 208  final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

87 

Catalogue number  : CB-CO-96-219-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-03978-0 

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