PURPOSE: to apply, on behalf of the European Union, Regulation
No 41 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on
uniform provisions concerning the approval of motor cycles with
regard to noise.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only
if Parliament has given its consent to the act.
BACKGROUND: at international level, the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) develops harmonised requirements,
intended to remove technical barriers to the trade in motor
vehicles between the Contracting Parties to the Revised 1958
Agreement and to ensure that such vehicles offer a high level of
health, safety and environmental protection.
Regulation No 41 of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe on uniform provisions concerning the approval of motor
cycles with regard to noise (UNECE Regulation No 41)
was recently brought up to the same level of environmental
protection as obtained through Union type-approval legislation,
which now allows the Union to start applying this UNECE Regulation.
The objective of that Regulation is to establish equivalent
provisions for sound control of motorcycles and clarifications to
the stationary noise measurement test of such vehicles.
At EU level, Annex I to Directive 2002/24/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council relating to the type-approval of two
or three-wheel motor vehicles, referring to Chapter 9 of Annex I to
Directive 97/24/EC on certain components and characteristics of two
or threewheel motor vehicles, mandates the type approval for two
and three-wheel motor vehicles, according to measurement procedures
and limit values for sound levels as laid down in Annex I.
Now that Revision 4 of UNECE Regulation No 41 has been
established, it is appropriate for the Union to apply the said
Regulation in order to have common harmonised requirements at
international level, which will facilitate international trade and
which will replace the existing approval requirements.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the application of UNECE Regulation No 41
does not lead to a revision of noise emission limits and/or
thresholds, as currently set out in Directive 97/24/EC.
Furthermore, the testing methods set out in UNECE Regulation No 41
are equivalent in scope and scientific approach to the ones
provided for in Directive 97/24/EC. Therefore, the proposed
application process is not expected to have societal,
environmental and economic impact for the European Union or the
EEA due to the overall equivalence of both the testing methods for
noise emissions proposed ,as well as the noise emission limits and
thresholds involved.
LEGAL BASIS: Articles 114(1) and 207(4) of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
CONTENT: the proposal will enable the Union to apply UNECE
Regulation No 41 on noise emissions from motorcycles and replace
the EU regional testing requirements with world-harmonised test
procedures and requirements.
BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal has no implication for the
Union budget.