Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 97/836/EC with a view to accession by the European Community to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted to and/or be used on wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these prescriptions (‘Revised 1958 Agreement’)

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 Revised 1958 Agreement and to ensure that such vehicles offer a high level of safety and environmental protection.

The objective of this proposal is to simplify and expedite the procedure regarding the voting of UNECE Regulations by the Commission on behalf of the Union, hence reducing the delay in the adoption of these acts in the framework of the UNECE. This is important as the EU vehicle type-approval system currently relies more and more on UNECE Regulations, which are replacing EU legislation (see Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 on General Safety). In addition, quicker adoption of legislation will allow for faster responses to regulatory requests from the operators.

Furthermore, the changes to the Treaties occurred after the adoption of Council Decision 97/836/EC, in particular the adoption of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, have substantially altered the decision making procedure to be followed for the establishment of the position of the Union when voting Regulations to be adopted by the UNECE and the conclusion of agreements between the Union and international organisations, making it necessary to adapt those Decisions to the new procedures.

The present proposal therefore aims at adapting Council Decision 97/836/EC to the decision making procedures regarding international agreements set out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)202: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:202:FIN

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