Brussels, 01/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The problem of a legal void in the European vehicle approval system was raised at a conference organised on 29 November by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) attended by MEP Ari Vatanen (EPP-ED, Finnish national elected in France), denouncing the marketing in Europe of a Chinese car, the Jiangling Landwind, which had shown shortcomings during collision tests carried out by the German motor club, ADAC, pursuant to the directions set out by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP). In principle, Directive 70/156/EC stipulates that mass-produced passenger cars from third countries must receive European approval certifying that they are safe. A car registered in a Member State must then be recognised in all Member States. Nonetheless, there is a procedure that is less strict, called “individual approval”, which allows each Member State to authorise the entry of individual foreign cars onto its territory, as long as they meet that country's own environmental and safety criteria. The Jiangling Landwind was therefore able to “come in through the back door” by taking advantage of the less severe system in Germany, Ari Vatanen denounced. The MEP and two members of the EPP-ED Group, Reinhard Rack (Austria) and Dieter-Lebrecht Koch (Germany) had sent a letter to the new German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, on 21 October, asking her to take swift measures to close the gap in the legislation that allows this dangerous car to be imported into Europe via Germany. It is not a question of bringing free trade into question, or the principle of subsidiarity, Ari Vatanen said, but “our duty at the European Parliament is to ensure that citizens are effectively protected by their governments”.
The results of an inquiry conducted by Market and Opinion Research International (MORI) among 8,000 persons in 7 Member States on the features that determine their purchase of a new car reveal that safety is a top priority for 94% of the respondents. Andrian Hobbs, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of EuroNCAP celebrated the same day that European consumers are increasingly aware of the differences that exist between models of cars when it comes to safety, and this is reflected in their choice. One solution would consist in harmonising individual approval criteria pending revision of Directive 70/156/Ec currently underway (COM (2004) 0738).