The EU Council adopted, on Wednesday 8 November, its position on the proposed regulation for the approval and market surveillance of non-road mobile machinery circulating on public roads, such as lawnmowers, harvesters and bulldozers.
“With this regulation, we complete the single market for non-road machinery, making it easier for producers and users to enlarge their business across Europe, saving time, money and red-tape”, commented Héctor Gómez Hernández, Spain’s acting Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, in a press release. “At the same, we ensure that the drivers of this machinery and other vehicles have a high level of safety while travelling on public roads”, he added.
Presented in March by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13153/6), this proposal aims to harmonise road safety requirements for the use of these self-propelled machines on public roads, which until now have been regulated by the Member States. The regulation will replace existing national regulatory regimes, reducing costs, administrative burdens and delays for businesses.
Manufacturers and distributors of non-road mobile machinery will only have to apply for road approval once, in one EU country, for the machinery to be accepted for road use in all EU countries. Users, such as rental companies, will benefit from a reduction in the compliance cost, and it will be easier for them to use and re-sell machinery across intra-EU borders. Drivers, in turn, will benefit from harmonised rules that ensure a high level of road safety across the EU.
In its mandate, the EU Council clarified the scope of application, with optional EU type-approval for non-road mobile machinery produced in small quantities and in other specific cases. It excluded non-road mobile machinery with a maximum speed not exceeding 6 km/h, among others.
The EU Council has proposed the creation of a new vehicle category (‘U’ category) for non-road mobile machinery, in addition to the existing categories: ‘M’ for vehicles carrying passengers, ‘N’ for those carrying goods, ‘L’ for those with 2 and 3 wheels and quadricycles.
It has also strengthened the market surveillance obligations of manufacturer representatives. The Member States want the manufacturer to be informed immediately of complaints and reports concerning risks, alleged incidents or non-compliance problems relating to the non-road mobile machinery covered.
The European Parliament has to define its own position before negotiations with the EU Council can begin.
To read the EU Council’s mandate: https://aeur.eu/f/9gq (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)