Around fifty EU directives on agricultural and forestry vehicles in the EU will now be repealed and replaced by a single regulation. The European Commission presented a proposal to this effect, on 23 July. Furthermore, this simplification procedure will be accompanied by new requirements for the braking systems of these vehicles. The new rules would require the mandatory fitting of anti-lock braking systems on some categories of fast tractors and their trailers, higher deceleration performance and improved compatibility between tractors and trailers/towed equipment. For Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani, the proposal would make it possible to increase the safety of tractors while reducing administrative costs and eliminating unnecessary legislation. “Working with 50 different directives and the many pieces of national implementing legislation is more costly and burdensome for the industry than necessary,” he commented.

In practice, the regulation on agricultural and forestry vehicles (Directive 2003/37/EC) and all the separate legislative acts laying down detailed technical requirements for the type-approval of tractors would be repealed and replaced by one single text. Because regulations are directly applicable, national implementing legislation in the member states would disappear. As a result, the new regulation would be joined by only three delegated acts containing technical details and test procedures as well as an implementing act for administrative aspects.

The proposal will now be forwarded to the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament for adoption. n