Transportable pressure equipment

Pending the European Parliament's position at first reading, the Council reached a general approach on the draft directive on transportable pressure equipment (doc. 6856/10).

However, the issue of the procedural provisions on delegation of powers to the Commission for implementing acts is still open and will be further discussed during the negotiations with the European Parliament on the text.

The draft legislation is a revision of Directive 1999/36/EC on the same subject. The Directive was adopted in order to enhance transport safety for such equipment and to ensure its free movement in a single transport market. The text contains rules on the obligations of the different economic operators, the conformity of the equipment, and inspection and monitoring bodies and their mutual recognition.

The purpose of the revision is to update and streamline the provisions of the 1999 Directive in the light of recent EU and international legislative developments, in particular Directive 2008/68/EC on the inland transport of dangerous goods as well as Regulation (EC) 765/2008 and Decision 768/2008/EC, which set the framework for the marketing of products in the single European market. The revision will eliminate conflicting rules and simplify the regulatory framework, especially as regards conformity assessment procedures, without substantially modifying the scope or measures provided for by the existing directive. As a consequence of this revision, several directives relating to pressure equipment will be repealed.

The Council intends to reach an early agreement with the European Parliament so that the two institutions can adopt the text at first reading.