CECE actively participates in an European Commission’s Expert exchange on Machinery Regulation
On 23rd March CECE participated in the 4th meeting of the European Commission’s Expert Group on Machinery. The focus of the meeting, among other things, was the new Machinery Regulation (MR), and the European Commission (EC) provided an update on its state of play and next steps.
According to the EC, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the new MR in the plenary session on 19th April 2023. After this and a planned signing ceremony by EU institutions in June 2023, the Regulation is expected to be published in the Official Journal at the beginning of July 2023. Twenty days after its publication, in July 2023, it will enter into force.
However, it is important to note that, the MR will apply after 42 months, except for certain provisions that will apply before. If the above schedule stays the same, the application will begin in January 2027. The EC also explicitly stated that there would be no voluntary application of the Machinery Regulation before the application date. Many stakeholders raised concerns about the challenges that such a decision would pose to the industries.
Although the exact timeframe is yet to be confirmed, the EC also plans to update the guide to the application of the Machinery Regulation. The stakeholders present at the meeting, while welcoming the initiative, were aligned in stressing the need for a prompt revision of the guidelines.
The EC has also announced that the Standardisation Request must be issued by the end of 2023, and upon its acceptance, the European Standardisation Organisations will develop the harmonised standards. The focus of this effort will be on artificial intelligence and cyber resilience. Additionally, the current stock of harmonised standards that will be carried over from the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC will be updated. The Commission is also in the process of preparing a Commission Implementing Decision with the full list of harmonised standards.
Moreover, the final proposal for the new (framework) regulation on the approval and market surveillance of non-road mobile machinery that will circulate on public roads will be approved next Thursday, 30th March 2023. The EC has already begun discussions with the Council and European Parliament to initiate negotiations on the proposal. This new regulation is based on the tractor-type approval legislation and incorporates elements from the recent motor-vehicle and trailer legislation.
In case of any questions, do not hesitate to contact the CECE Technical Team.
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