European Parliament endorses new rules to prevent emissions cheating
A stronger European supervision of the car approval system to ensure rules are applied uniformly and effectively throughout the EU was approved by Parliament yesterday (Thursday).
New “type approval” rules to guarantee that cars on the roads are clean and safe, as well as environmental and safety testing to be more independent are some of the changes following the adoption of the Dalton report.
As part of this, every EU country will have to conduct a minimum number of checks on cars each year. In addition, it will allows for the possibility to maintain the standardised on-board diagnostics (OBD) connector open
The European Parliament has adopted the compromise package on the Vehicle Type-Approval Framework Regulation during the yesterday’s Plenary session in Strasbourg.
This agreement aims to achieve a high level of safety and environmental performance of motor vehicles and to address the main shortcomings identified in the existing type-approval system.
Prior to the vote, Rapporteur Dalton (ECR/UK) said that this legislation was a strong EU wide response to the ‘diesel gate’ scandal and will make cars safer and cleaner ensuring at the same time that a diesel scandal can’t happen again. He mentioned also that consumers rely on a “healthy aftermarket for local and good quality services” and that he was pleased “to have achieved improved access to manufacturers information”
As mentioned in our previously, the the European Council for Motor Trades and Repairs (CECRA), together with other European associations, have worked very closely, to obtain some important clarifications which have been made, notably on:
- the continued possibility to communicate with the vehicle’s technical information/data via the standardised on-board diagnostic connector, when the vehicle is stationary and in motion (fore read-out only), which is now better clarified;
- the information needed for preparation of vehicles for roadworthiness testing has been included into the RMI definition, as many consumers bring their vehicles to a workshop for preparation before undergoing the periodic inspection;
- an adaptation of the format of the RMI to the state-of-the-art, which means the technical repair and also the spare parts identification information can also be obtained in an electronically processable form.
CECRA’s Director General Bernard Lycke, commenting the new rules said: “The first point, being particularly important as it is clear that the Commission will also have to look how to maintain these new provisions in the connected era and ensure access to in-vehicle data to allow the development of the digital innovation potential of the value chain as explained in our position paper on connectivity” .
What next? This was the final vote in the European Parliament. The text is now expected to be voted by the Council of Ministers without debate in a future meeting (the date is not yet known).