DThe EU Regulation on type approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles has come into force since Tuesday. Adopted in May 2018, the new Regulation thoroughly revises and significantly tightens the previous system of type approval and market surveillance. It improves the quality and independence of type approval and vehicle testing, increases checks on cars already on the EU market and strengthens the overall system with greater European oversight.
Type approval is the process of certifying that a vehicle meets all the requirements for being placed on the market and of rigorously monitoring manufacturers’ compliance with EU legislation, including emissions limits set out in a separate Regulation.
The new type-approval rules were proposed by the Commission in 2016 following the Dieselgate scandal and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2018.
This reform is part of the Commission’s overall work to achieve a clean, sustainable and competitive automotive sector, as set out in the Commission’s Communication “Europe on the Move”. The Commission’s initiatives include rules on air quality and CO2, improved testing of car emissions, support for the production of alternative fuels and batteries, and safeguarding the competitiveness of European industry.
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said: “Europeans rightly expect to drive the cleanest and safest cars, which requires stricter controls on the cars on the market and on our roads. It also requires enforcement and oversight at European level: that is why the Commission will now be able to carry out checks on cars, trigger EU-wide recalls and impose fines of up to €30,000 per vehicle in case of non-compliance with the law. These reforms complement our work on cleaner and safer mobility, which, in the difficult context of the crisis, requires even more future-oriented investments in infrastructure and innovation. Our efforts to restore consumer confidence, strengthen the Single Market and support the long-term viability and global competitiveness of the European car industry go hand in hand.”
Key elements of the new rules include:
- Independence and quality of testing before placing a vehicle on the market: In order to obtain and maintain their designation by Member States, technical services carrying out tests and inspections of new car models will be subject to an independent audit based on strict criteria. National type-approval authorities are now subject to peer reviews to ensure that the relevant rules are applied and enforced rigorously throughout the EU.
- Checks on vehicles already on the market: The new framework also improves checks on vehicles already on the market and checks on their sale at dealerships. Member States are now obliged to regularly test a minimum number of vehicles and may take safeguard measures against non-compliant vehicles on their territory without waiting for action by the authority that issued the type-approval.
- European supervision: In addition, the Commission can now carry out compliance and conformity checks on vehicles in laboratories or on the road. In the event that manufacturers fail to comply with type-approval legislation (for example defeat devices or false declarations), the Commission can order EU-wide recalls and impose penalties of up to €30,000 per car on such manufacturers. Until now, only national car type approval authorities could impose such measures.
Since the adoption of the Regulation in 2018, car manufacturers, type approval bodies and other stakeholders have worked continuously to implement the new rules and adapt to the increased rigour of the requirements.
The Commission has provided additional resources to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to take on this new role in market surveillance, funding the necessary additional staff, operational costs and the construction of two new laboratories. The JRC has made use of two new state-of-the-art laboratories to carry out controls.
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