Car industry: headlamps emitting asymmetrical passing beam or driving beam, filaments lamps, UN/ECE

OBJECTIVE: to allow the Commission representative to vote on the Community's behalf on the draft Regulation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the approval of motor vehicle headlamps emitting certain types of beams and equipped with filament lamps. CONTENTS: Pursuant to Council decision 97/836/EC, the Community became a contracting party to the 1958 Revised Agreement of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE) on 24 March 1998. This decision states in particular that when the UN/ECE votes on a draft regulation, the draft must be adopted by the Council, having received the assent of the European Parliament, before the Community can vote to adopt the draft. The 117th meeting of the "Working party on the Construction of Vehicles" of the UN/ECE (scheduled for March 1999) plans to vote on a new regulation concerning the approval of motor vehicle headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam or a driving beam (or both) which can be fitted with glass or plastic lenses and which are equipped with replaceable halogen filament lamps. The main aim of the regulation is to eliminate technical barriers to trade in motor vehicles, while at the same time safeguarding a high degree of road safety and environmental protection. It is planned to integrate this regulation in the vehicle type acceptance system, thereby supplementing current Community legislation. The sole purpose of this proposal is to allow the Commission representative to vote on the draft regulation in question on behalf of the Community at the 117th meeting of the "Working Party on the Construction of Vehicles" of the UN/ECE or, if necessary, when it is put to the vote at a subsequent meeting.�