Car industry: approval of vehicles intended for the carriage of dangerous goods, UN/ECE Regulation 105

PURPOSE: to present a proposal for a Council decision on the accession of the European Community to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No 105 on the approval of vehicles intended for the carriage of dangerous goods with regard to their specific constructional features. CONTENT: Following Council Decision 97/836/EC of 27 November 1997, the EC became a contracing party to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UN/ECE's) Revised 1958 Agreement on 24 March 1998 and acceded to 78 regulations annexed to that Agreement. Article 3(3) of that Decision states, in particular, that the Community may decide to apply a Regulation to which it did not accede at the time of its accession to the Revised Agreement if the Council approves that Regulation by a qualified majority after receiving the assent of the European Parliament. Regulation No 105 on the approval of vehicles intended for the carriage of dangerous goods with regard to their specific constructional features is aimed, in particular, at removing technical barriers to trade in motor vehicles between the contracting parties while ensuring a high level of safety and environmental protection. Although the Regulation is not included in the list of regulations recognised by the EC that is contained in Annex II to Decision 97/836/EC, the representatives of the Member States have stated that it would now be useful if the EC were to examine the possibility of acceding thereto. It is also provided that the Regulation concerned will be incorporated into the approval system for motor vehicles and thus supplement the laws in force within the Community. Against this background, the proposal for a Council decision is intended to enable the Community to accede to UN/ECE Regulation No 105 on the approval of vehicles intended for the carriage of dangerous goods with regard to their specific constructional features.�