2005/631/EC: Commission Decision of 29 August 2005 concerning essential requirements as referred to in Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ensuring access of Cospas-Sarsat locator beacons to emergency services (notified under document number C(2005) 3059)   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2005-08-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: harmonisation of standards, maritime safety, safety device, satellite navigation, technical standard, telecommunications equipment

L 225/28

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

31.8.2005

COMMISSION DECISION

of 29 August 2005

concerning essential requirements as referred to in Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council ensuring access of Cospas-Sarsat locator beacons to emergency services

(notified under document number C(2005) 3059)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2005/631/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

the European
Having regard to Directive 1999/5/EC of
the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio
Parliament and of
equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and
the mutual recognition of their conformity (1), and in particular
Article 3(3)(e) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

the Emergency position-indi-
Certain locator beacons,
cating radiobeacons
(EPIRBs) operating on 406 MHz
with the Cospas-Sarsat system, are an element of the
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

In accordance with Commission Decision 2004/71/EC of
4 September 2003 on essential requirements relating to
radio communication equipment which is
marine
intended to be used on non-Solas vessels and to parti-
cipate in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS) (2), manufacturers of EPIRBs have to ensure that
equipment is to be designed so as to function correctly,
meet all
the GMDSS
under distress conditions and provide clear and robust
communications.

the operational requirements of

locator beacons intended for other purposes
However,
are not covered by Decision 2004/71/EC. Since those
types of Cospas-Sarsat locator beacons are expected to
it
be used in large numbers as distress beacons,
is
necessary to provide that
they are
covered by Directive 1999/5/EC, should be so designed
as to function correctly according to accepted operational

they, as

far as

requirements and to meet all the requirements of the
Cospas-Sarsat system.

(4)

The measures set out in this Decision are in accordance
with the opinion of the Telecommunications Conformity
Assessment and Market Surveillance Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

This Decision shall apply to locator beacons intended to operate
on 406 MHz with the Cospas-Sarsat system and which do not
fall within the scope of Decision 2004/71/EC.

Article 2

The locator beacons referred to in Article 1 shall be designed so
as to ensure correct
functioning according to the accepted
operational requirements under exposure to the environment
in which they may be used. Under distress conditions they
shall provide clear and robust communication with a high
degree of
the
Cospas-Sarsat system.

fidelity by meeting all

the requirements of

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 29 August 2005.

For the Commission

Günter VERHEUGEN
Vice-President

(1) OJ L 91, 7.4.1999, p. 10. Directive as amended by Regulation (EC)

No 1882/2003 (OJ L 284, 31.10.2003, p. 1).

(2) OJ L 16, 23.1.2004, p. 54.