Transport safety: type-approval of two or three-wheel motor vehicles (amend. Directive 92/61/EEC)

The proposal has been examined by the Council under several Presidencies and it has undergone some modifications which, however, do not change its overall orientation. The main changes are as follows: - amending the provisions concerning the comitology procedure in the light of Council Decision 1999/468/EC; - clarifying the definition of electrically assisted bicycles; - modifying the categories defining different classes of two and three wheel vehicles. The new text accomodates two-wheel mopeds fitted with an electric motor and three-wheel mopeds equipped with an electric motor or a diesel engine. A system of codes has also been introduced for administrative purposes; - clarifying the definitions of the types of vehicle, variant and version. In order to align the text with the framework motor vehicle legislation laid down in Directive 70/156/EEC, the concept of a system has been added; - the addition of a new provision allowing Member States to refuse to grant type-approval on safety grounds; - the administrative provisions concerning type-approval have been adjusted; - the addition of provisions allowing Member use national code systems to facilitate registration and taxation pending further harmonisation in these fields; - the addition of a new column to the table listing requirements for the purpose of vehicle type-approval, in order to point users to the separate directives that regulate certain aspects of vehicle design; - to ensure that complete information is provided to the type-approval authorities, a list of separate directive approval numbers was added to the Information Document; - letter codes were introduced in the Certificate of Conformity to facilitate the use of computerised documentation systems; - a large number of small technical adjustments and clarifications were also introduced to the text. Overall, the Council considers that by approving the bulk of the Commission proposal while also introducing a large number of detailed amendments it has arrived at a practicable solution which addresses the needs arising from new technologies and ensures a high level of road safety.�