Activites

• 2003/02/11 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 2002/88
  • OJ L 035 11.02.2003, p. 0028-0081
• 2002/12/09 Final act signed
• 2002/12/09 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2457
• 2002/10/17 Council Meeting
• 2002/07/02 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T5-0337/2002 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Bernd LANGE (PES, Germany) on pollutants from non-road mobile machinery. (Please refer to the document dated 04/06/02.) To clarify, Parliament inserted an amendment stating that certain machines, such as handheld chainsaws, top handle machines, handheld hedge trimmers, brush cutters, and power cutters, will all be exempted from the implementation dates of stage II emission limit requirements for three years. For those three years, the Stage I emission limit requirements will continue to apply.�

• 2002/06/04 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A5-0221/2002
• 2002/04/10 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2420
• 2002/03/25 Council Meeting
  • 05198/1/2002 summary

    The Council made a number of changes to the Commission proposal; the major change involved the deletion of those parts of the proposal which introduced an average and banking system for emissions. The Commission proposed the introduction of this system to follow the system used in the USA, however, the Council did not feel that this Directive was the appropriate place to introduce such a system. Therefore, reference to it have been deleted throughout the proposal. Without this system some alternative form of flexibility is required to accommodate those machines which, due to lack of current technical know-how, are unable to meet the relevant emission limits. The solution found requires the Commission to study the possible technical difficulties in complying with the Stage II requirements for certain uses of engines and if appropriate proposals, must be submitted by 31 December 2003. Other minor changes were also made to the exemptions for small volume engine manufacturers and some of the definitions. A technical working group studied the Annexes to the proposal and a number of minor technical changes proposed by them were incorporated into the Annexes. In its Plenary vote on 2 October 2001, the EP adopted 21 amendments to the proposal. Seventeen of these have been incorporated, verbatim, and one (Amendment 30) with a small addition, into the Council's common position. Three amendments which have not been incorporated are as follows: - the amendment which proposed that all chain saws and a list of handheld machinery should be completely exempt, from Stages I and II of the Directive, but unacceptable to both Council and Commission; - the amendment relating to the use of labelling and economic incentives to encourage early compliance and another which proposed a new recital on economic incentives. The Council felt that these incentives could already be provided without making explicit reference in the proposal, which could, in fact narrow the scope for the potential use of such incentives. The eighteen amendments, which the Council has incorporated into its common position, can be grouped as follows: - those which concern the deletion of the proposed averaging and banking system, which Council also wished to delete; - clarifications to definitions in Article 2; - an amendment which clarifies the application of the exemption for small volume engine producers; - those which simplify the system of reference to type approvals by specifying them in an Annex; - an amendment which requires Member States to implement the Directive by 18 months after the date of the entry into force of the directive; - an amendment which introduces a new Article 2a which requires the Commission to submit a report to the Council and the European Parliament on the potential cot and benefits and feasibility of reducing particulate emissions and emissions from certain recreational vehicles; small compression ignition engines and locomotive compression ignition engines; - an amendment which brings forward the proposed dates for compliance with Stage II for engine classes SH1, SH2 and SN3 to 1 August 2007 and for engine class SH3 to 1 August 2008; and - an amendment which provides, in a new Article 14a, for the flexibility mentioned above, which is required given that the average, banking and trading system proposed by the Commission is deleted. In the common position the proposed new Article 14a has been slightly modified by the addition of the words "in particular, professional use, multipositional, handheld engines". The aim of this addition is to specify more clearly the type of machinery which should be studied. The Commission also made a declaration listing the types of machinery it is likely to study, this list includes all those machines listed in amendment 29 which proposed that all chains saws and a list of other handheld machinery should be completely exempt, from Stages I and II of the Directive, which was rejected by the Council as too wide a derogation. In conclusion, the Council considers that its common position takes into account, almost entirely, the Opinion of the European Parliament in first reading and represents a balanced solution for those machines which cannot, for the moment, meet the requirements. The solution used, which requires recommendations from the Commission by the end of 2003, also provides a degree of certainty for the industry in meeting its environmental obligations.�

• #2378
• 2001/10/29 Council Meeting
• 2001/10/26 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(2001)0626 summary

    The amendments accepted by the Commission relate in particular to: - making the definition of "placing on the market" more clear. It is not changing anything in substance; - introducing the possibility for Member States to use labelling and economic incentives; - requiring the Member States to transpose the Directive within 18 months instead of a certain date, which does not change anything of importance. - requiring the Commission to study if there is further need for legislation in this field. - moving implementation dates of stage II slightly forward. - moving the alternative ways for type certification from article 7 to a new annex. - giving the mandate to the Commission, by using the Committee on Adaptation to Technical Progress, to exempt certain products that for technical reasons can not meet the stage II standards. On the other hand, amendments not accepted by the Commission include those: - about the average and banking system · deleting it from the proposal. Although rejecting the amendments the Commission has expressed its willingness to accept solutions to the average and banking system that gives the intended flexibility, world-wide alignment and environmental benefits. - which exempt a large number of two-stroke engines indefinitely from the scope of the Directive - not only from stage II. This will totally undermine the environmental benefits of the proposal.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/', 'title': 'Environment'}],
• 2001/10/02 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0483/2001 summary

    The European Parliament voted to endorse the report by Mr Bernd LANGE (PES, D). (Please refer to the previous text). In addition, to get the Directive through Parliament in one reading, Parliament passed a series of amendments negotiated as a compromise deal with Council by Mr LANGE. One, which was passed by 19 votes (266 to 247), exempts chainsaws from the Directive. Other set an 18-month deadline for transposal of the Directive in the Member States and define small-volume manufacturers as producing less than 25,000 units a year. Under this compromise deal, Parliament has also classed generators, pumps and the engines used to power snow-throwers as 'hand-held' to give them more generous limit values and slightly longer compliance deadlines. It wants Members States to be able to give manufacturers 'economic' incentives, offsetting the costs of compliance, to meet the Stage II limits early and to allow producers to use labelling to indicate that equipment meets the limit values early. It also wants the Commission to assess whether it is impossible for certain mobile machines to comply with the Stage II limits by the deadlines set and grant derogations for them if necessary.�

• 2001/10/01 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2001/07/11 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0287/2001
• 2001/01/15 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2000/12/18 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2000)0840 summary

    PURPOSE: to present a Commission proposal for a Directive amending Directive 97/68/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed on non-road mobile machinery. CONTENT: the main purpose of amending Directive 97/68/EC is to contribute to achieving ambient air quality targets especially concerning formation of ozone. In general, the proposal for an amendment sets performance standards, leaving the manufacturer the freedom to design products that meet those standards. The main amendments in the proposal refer to the following: - world-wide alignment of legislation; - increasing the scope of the Directive with regard to engines; - change in the classification of engines; - regulation of pollutants; - a two-step approach in implementing the Directive; - limit values (and test procedures) and compliance with standards; - phase-in, averaging, banking and trading as regards engine production; - small volume manufacturers and production of small engine families - and finally, replacement engines.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/', 'title': 'Environment'}],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2000)0840
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0287/2001
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0483/2001
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(2001)0626
• Council position published: 05198/1/2002
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A5-0221/2002
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0337/2002
• : Directive 2002/88
• : OJ L 035 11.02.2003, p. 0028-0081

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)