Proposal for a Council Decision on the position of the European Community on the draft Regulation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the uniform prescriptions applicable to the approval of internal combustion engines to be installed in agricultural and forestry tractors and in non-road mobile machinery, with regard to their net power, net torque and specific fuel consumption
Date: 2003-07-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: approval, approximation of laws, commercial vehicle, energy consumption, engine, tractor

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 10.7.2003
COM(2003) 414 final

2003/0155 (AVC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the position of the European Community on the draft Regulation of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the uniform prescriptions
applicable to the approval of internal combustion engines to be installed in agricultural
and forestry tractors and in non-road mobile machinery, with regard to their net power,
net torque and specific fuel consumption

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.

GENERAL

By Council Decision 97/836/EC of 27 November 1997, the European Community became a
Contracting  Party  to  the  1958  Revised  Agreement  of  the  United  Nations  Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) on 24 March 1998.

Article  4  of  that  Decision  states  in  particular  that,  where  a  draft  Regulation  of  the  United
Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe  is  submitted  to  a  vote  within  the  appropriate
bodies  of  the  UN/ECE,  the  draft  concerned  must  be  approved  by  the  Council,  after  having
received the assent of the European Parliament, before the Community can vote in favour of
adopting such a draft Regulation.

The provisional agenda for a forthcoming meeting of the World Forum for Harmonisation of
Vehicle  Regulations  of  the  United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe  includes  in
particular a vote on a draft (new) Regulation concerning the approval of uniform provisions
applicable to the approval  of  internal  combustion  engines  to  be  installed  in  agricultural  and
forestry tractors and in non-road mobile machinery, with regard to their net power, net torque
and specific fuel consumption

The aim of the Regulation is in particular  to  abolish  the technical  barriers  to trade in motor
vehicles  between  the  Contracting  Parties,  while  ensuring  a  high  level  of  safety  and
environmental protection.

It should be stressed that the position of the EC at the time of the vote will be taken on the
basis  of  the  documents  available  in  the  official  languages  of  the  UN/ECE  (French  and
English). Indeed, the EC having become a Contracting Party to the 1958 Revised Agreement
of  the  UN/ECE  is  required  to  observe  the  procedures  envisaged  in  the  aforementioned
agreement.

In conformity with the requirements of Article 4 (5) of Decision 97/836/EC, the  Regulation
will  be  published  in  all  the  official  languages  of  the  Communities  in  the  Official  Journal
before entering into force within the Community.

2.

CONTENTS OF THE PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

The purpose of the proposal for a Decision is to enable the Commission representative to vote
on behalf of the Community on the draft Regulation in question at a forthcoming meeting of
the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe.

2

2003/0155 (AVC)

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the position of the European Community on the draft Regulation of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the uniform prescriptions
applicable to the approval of internal combustion engines to be installed in agricultural
and forestry tractors and in non-road mobile machinery, with regard to their net power,
net torque and specific fuel consumption

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Decision 97/836/EC of 27November 1997 with a view to accession
by the European Community to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe 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 prescriptions1,
and in particular the second indent of Article4(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission2,

Having regard to the assent of the European Parliament3,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

The  draft  Regulation  of  the  United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe
concerning the adoption of uniform prescriptions applicable to the approval of internal
combustion engines to be installed in agricultural and forestry tractors and in non-road
mobile  machinery,  with  regard  to  their  net  power,  net  torque  and  specific  fuel
consumption, will abolish the technical barriers to trade in motor vehicles between the
Contracting  Parties  as far as  these  components  are  concerned,  while  ensuring  a  high
level of safety and environmental protection.

It  is  necessary  to  establish  the  position  to  be  taken  by  the  Community  on  the  draft
Regulation.

The said Regulation will not be incorporated into the Community system for the type-
approval of motor vehicles,

1

2

3

OJ L 346, 17.12.1997, p. 78.
OJ C, , p
OJ C, , p

3

                                                
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS

Article 1

The  draft  Regulation  of  United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe  concerning  the
adoption  of  uniform  prescriptions  applicable  to  the  approval  of  combustion  engines  to  be
installed in agricultural and forestry tractors and in non-road mobile machinery, with regard to
their  net  power,  net  torque  and  specific  fuel  consumption,  as  set  out  in  document
TRANS/WP.29/2002/74, is hereby approved.

Article 2

The  Community,  represented  by  the  Commission,  should  vote  in  favour  of  the  draft
Regulation  referred  to  in  Article  1,  during  the  vote  at  the  meeting  of  the  Administrative
Committee  at  a  forthcoming  meeting  of  the  World  Forum  for  Harmonisation  of  Vehicle
Regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Article 3

The UN/ECE draft Regulation concerning the adoption of uniform prescriptions applicable to
the approval of combustion engines to be installed in agricultural and forestry tractors and in
non-road mobile machinery, with regard to the measurement of the net power, net torque and
specific fuel consumption, will not be incorporated into the Community system for the type-
approval of motor vehicles.

Done at Brussels,

For the Council
The President

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