Type-approval of motor vehicles: reusability, recyclability and recoverability

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Holger KRAHMER (ALDE, DE) and agreed a compromise text with the Council. The main points are as follows:

- within 54 months of the entry into force of the directive (instead of 36), Member States will refuse the registration, sale or entry into service of new vehicles which will not comply with rules for re-usability and recyclability;

- the term "competent authority" is replaced by "competent body" throughout the text. It is defined as means an entity, e.g. a technical service or another existing body, notified by a Member State to carry out preliminary assessment and to issue a certificate of compliance, in accordance with the prescriptions of this Directive. The competent body may be the type-approval authority, provided its competence in this field is properly documented;

- in the framework of the preliminary assessment, Member States must ensure that the materials used for the construction of a vehicle type comply with the provisions of Article 4(2)(a) of Directive 2000/53/EC. The Commission will establish the detailed rules necessary to verify compliance with this provision;

- for the purposes of checks of the materials and masses of component parts, the manufacturer must make available vehicles and component parts as deemed necessary by the type-approval authority;

- manufacturers must mark the component parts made of polymers and elastomers in accordance with Commission Decision 2003/138/EC;

- the criteria for the selection of the reference vehicle has been amended to include type of bodywork, available trim levels and the available optional equipment which can be fitted under the manufacturer's responsibility.