Proposal for a Council Decision on the application of Regulation No 41 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on uniform provisions concerning the approval of motor cycles with regard to noise

At international level, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) develops harmonised requirements, intended to remove technical barriers to the trade in motor vehicles between the Contracting Parties to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheel vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted to and/or be used on wheel vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these prescriptions (‘Revised 1958 Agreement’) and to ensure that such vehicles offer a high level of health, safety and environmental protection.

Regulation No 41 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on uniform provisions concerning the approval of motor cycles with regard to noise (‘UNECE Regulation No 41’) was recently brought up to the same level of environmental protection as obtained through Union type-approval legislation, which now allows the Union to start applying this UNECE Regulation. The objective of that Regulation is to establish equivalent provisions for sound control of motorcycles and clarifications to the stationary noise measurement test of such vehicles.

At EU level, Annex I to Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheel motor vehicles, referring to Chapter 9 of Annex I to Directive 97/24/EC on certain components and characteristics of two or three-wheel motor vehicles, mandates the type approval for two and three-wheel motor vehicles, according to measurement procedures and limit values for sound levels as laid down in Annex I.

Now that Revision 4 of UNECE Regulation No 41 has been established, it is appropriate for the Union to apply said Regulation. This Council Decision will authorise the Commission on behalf of the European Union to notify the application of UNECE Regulation No 41.

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)307: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:307:FIN

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