Agricultural and forestry tractors: EC type-approval (repeal. Directive 74/50/EEC)

PURPOSE : to present a proposal for a Directive on EC type-approval of agricultural and forestry tractors, their trailers and interchangeable towed equipment, together with their systems, components and separate technical units. CONTENT : this proposal makes up the second stage of rewriting Directive 74/150/EEC on the type-approval of agricultural and forestry tractors, with the aim, in particular, of extending its scope to cover more specific types of tractors, their trailers and interchangeable towed equipment. It should be added that Directive 74/150/EEC has been amended several times, by Directives 79/694/EEC, 88/297/EEC, 97/54/EEC, 2000/2/EC, 2000/25/EC and 2001/3/EC. In the interests of effectiveness and greater transparency, this proposal for a Directive has been prepared with a view to eliminating excess regulation and simplifying the implementation of legislation. This proposal also aims to clarify the type-approval procedure along the lines of the framework Directive on motor vehicles (Directive 70/156/EEC, as last amended by Directive 2000/40/EC), that on two- or three-wheel motor vehicles (Directive 92/61/EEC) and to take into account the experience gained. As there was a large number of significant amendments to Directive 74/150/EEC,a nd in order to ensure the text was clear, it was decided to recast the directive in two stages. The first stage of recasting was to consolidate the amended Directive 70/156/EEC. This proposal makes up the second stage of the recasting. This proposal essentially concerns the enacting terms, which have been completely redrafted, as have the new Annexes IV to VIII. This new text is strongly in favour of total, Community-wide harmonisation, the goal being the replacement of the national type-approval with European type-approval. Up to now, national type-approval has co-existed with EC type-approval, and the manufacturer was free to choose which systems to use. The proposal also extends EC type-approval to systems, components and separate technical units, in accordance with the corresponding separate directives. It also recognises certain international regulations as an alternative, for example those of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The proposal establishes a procedure for exempting from Community requirements vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units which - owing to their design - do not meet the requirements of the directives concerned, but which offer at least equivalent guarantees as regards safety and environmental protection. It sets up a safeguard-clause procedure for discrepancies during checks on the conformity of production. This text also specifies that an information document and a type-approval report designed to enable EC type-approval to be computerised are to be annexed to each separate directive. Lastly, the Commission feels that the proposed Directive will help to simplify and expedite the administrative tasks which manufacturers must complete in order to be able to market their products. It will eliminate the need to produce technical variants in order to meet diverging national requirements and to submit new types of vehicles to a Community type-approvalprocedure in a single Member State. Once type-approval has been obtained, it will be accepted in all Member States.�