Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 114, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

By Council Decision 97/836/EC^f1, the Union acceded to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) 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 those prescriptions (the ‘Revised 1958 Agreement’).

By Council Decision 2000/125/EC^f2, the Union acceded to the Agreement concerning the establishing of global technical regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or be used on wheeled vehicles (the ‘Parallel Agreement’).

Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council^f3 replaced the approval systems of the Member States with a Union approval procedure and established a harmonised framework containing administrative provisions and general technical requirements for all new vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units. That Directive incorporated regulations adopted under the Revised 1958 Agreement (‘UN Regulations’) in the EU type-approval system, either as requirements for type-approval or as alternatives to Union legislation. Since the adoption of Directive 2007/46/EC, UN regulations have been increasingly incorporated into Union legislation.

In the light of experience and technical developments, the requirements relating to certain elements or features covered by UN Regulations Nos 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 27, 29, 34, 37, 38, 43, 44, 46, 48, 50, 53, 60, 67, 69, 70, 74, 77, 83, 86, 87, 91, 94, 95, 98, 99, 100, 101, 104, 105, 110, 112, 113, 119, 121, 123, 128, 129, 132 and 137, as well as by UN Global Technical Regulation 9 need to be modified.

In order to clarify and consolidate the component-related requirements currently contained in several UN Regulations, three new UN Regulations on light-signalling devices (LSD), road illumination devices (RID) and retro-reflective devices (RRD) need to be adopted. They will replace and repeal UN Regulations Nos 3, 4, 6, 7, 19, 23, 27, 38, 50, 69, 70, 77, 87, 91, 98, 104, 112, 113, 119 and 123 without changing any of the detailed technical requirements already in force to date.

It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the Administrative Committee of the Revised 1958 Agreement and in the Executive Committee of the Parallel Agreement as regards the adoption of those modifications and those new UN Regulations, as the Regulations will be binding on the Union and capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law in the field of vehicle type-approval.

In those Committees, the Union is to be represented by the Commission in accordance with Article 17(1) of the Treaty on European Union,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: