The common position of the Council with a view to the adoption of a Directive of the EP and of the Council amending Council Directive 92/23/EEC relating to tyres for motor vehicles and to their fitting, introduced the following changes:
-the definition of 'tyre' was modified to include a provision for winter tyres with holes for studs. Also, it is proposed that the requirements set out in Annex V shall apply to tyres intended to be fitted to vehicles first used on or after 1 October 1980. It was also decided that very large tyres should be exempted from the noise requirements set out in Annex V.
-The transposition and application dates have been slightly modified to allow time for administrative and technical procedures to be completed;
-To ensure continued improvements in the field of tyre safety, the Council calls on the Commission to amend Directive 92/23/EEC in order to introduce grip tests for tyres;
-The Commission is also called upon to submit further proposals for measures in the field of motor vehicle regulations, so as to revise the provisions in Directive 92/23/EEC in a direction conducive to improved safety, environmental protection and energy saving;
-Recognising that not all type approval authorities in the Member States have the requisite testing facilities at present, the Council decided that until 31 December 2005, manufacturers' laboratories may be accepted as approved test laboratories persuant to Article 14(1)(i) of Directive 70/156/EEC;
-The Council has also introduced amendments in which the technical provisions are made more precise and the specific competence of the type approval authority is defined more clearly;
-As regards Annex V, in order to improve further the test method for tyre-road sound levels, the Council introduced technical amendments that render the test specifications more precise and which thus provide for more reliable results;
-A new Appendix was added laying out the information to be included in the test report;
-A new Annex was added describing the physical characteristics and layout of the test track, based on ISO standards;
-In conclusion, in keeping with the above objective, the Council has endeavoured to endorse, clarify and strengthen the provisions, particularly with a view to maximising their rigour and technical precision, so as to reduce noise caused by road traffic.�