Member States’ ambassadors to the EU adopted their position on the machinery and equipment regulation on Friday 24 June, opening the door to inter-institutional negotiations with the European Parliament.
As detailed in these columns (see EUROPE 12977/22), Member States have clarified the scope of the Directive, in particular for small vehicles for personal transport and light electric vehicles. They also amended Annex I on self-assessment of conformity, limiting the involvement of conformity assessment bodies.
The European Commission may adopt delegated acts to update this list of products. The institution may develop technical specifications where standards are not available or are not satisfactory, but only as a last resort. Manufacturers will have to provide paper instructions to customers who request them within 6 months of purchasing the product.
The European Parliament adopted its position at the beginning of May, when it focussed on machines driven by artificial intelligence (see EUROPE 12944/16). According to one source, the Czech Republic, which is set to take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council on 1 July, may try to organise a first inter-institutional meeting with the European Parliament to be held on 12 July. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)