Car industry: approval of partitioning systems to protect passengers against displaced luggage, supplied as non original equipment, UN/ECE Regulation

PURPOSE : to enable the Commission representative to vote on the draft Regulation on behalf of the Community at a forthcoming meeting of the UN/ECE World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations.

PROPOSED ACT : Council Decision.

CONTENT : by Council Decision 97/836/EC of 27 November 1997, the European Community became a Contracting Party to the 1958 Revised Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE). That Decision took effect on 24 March 1998.

Article 4 of that Decision stipulates, inter alia, that where a draft Regulation of the UN/ECE is submitted to a vote within the appropriate UN/ECE bodies, the draft in question must be approved by the Council, after obtaining assent from the European Parliament, before the Community can declare itself in favour of adopting the draft.

The agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations of the UN/ECE will include, in particular, a vote on a (new) draft Regulation on partitioning systems for passenger cars in order to protect passengers against displaced luggage. The main purpose of the draft Regulation is to establish harmonised technical prescriptions, thereby avoiding the creation of technical barriers to trade in motor vehicles between the Contracting Parties, while ensuring a high level of safety and environmental protection.