In adopting the recommendation for second reading by Mr Erhard MEIER (PSE, A), Parliament
approved the common position of the Council with a series of amendments aimed at strengthening
safety standards for pressure equipment.
In particular, Parliament requested that :
- certain equipment, subject to a pressure higher than 0.5 bar but not currently covered by the
Directive, should be regularly reviewed in order to ascertain whether it is necessary to draw up rules
at Union level,
- three years after the Directive enters into force, a review should be carried out in order to ascertain
the need for the integration of simple pressure vessels into the Directive.
At the same time, Parliament provided clarification concerning piping and water supply networks.
In relation to conformity assessment, Parliament requested that, in the case of equipment in (the most
dangerous) categories III and IV, the inspection should be carried out by a third party independent
of the designer/manufacturer. Furthermore, where the pressure equipment is not manufactured in
accordance with the standards laid down by the Directive or is composed of materials not
specifically referred to and in respect of which no harmonised standards are applied, Parliament
called on the manufacturer to demonstrate that appropriate measures had been taken to achieve an
equivalent overall level of safety.
It also called for increased cooperation between Member States in order to ensure compliance with
the provisions of the Directive.
In relation to commitology, Parliament urged that the Commission be assisted by the committee set
up pursuant to Directive 83/189/EEC in all matters of standardization, and composed of technical
experts.
More generally, Parliament emphasised that the Directive should be directed towards a high degree
of health and safety protection.
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