COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2013/8/EU
of 26 February 2013
amending, for the purpose of adapting its technical provisions, Directive 2009/144/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain components and characteristics of wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Directive 2003/37/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on type-approval of agricultural or forestry tractors, their trailers and interchangeable towed machinery, together with their systems, components and separate technical units and repealing Directive 74/150/EEC (1), and in particular point (b) of Article 19(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Annex IV to Directive 2009/144/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) sets out general provisions and requirements for mechanical couplings between tractor and towed vehicle and vertical load on the coupling point.
(2)
In recent years, new kinds of couplings have been put into use in the Union and are currently nationally approved on the basis of ISO standards. These are namely no-swivel clevis couplings (ISO 6489-5:2011), ball type couplings (ISO 24347:2005) and pin type couplings (ISO 6489-4:2004).
(3)
In order to take account of the current market situation, to minimise possible safety and economic impacts and to allow those couplings to be EC type-approved, it is necessary to include the couplings concerned and the relevant ISO standards in Directive 2009/144/EC.
(4)
Directive 2009/144/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(5)
The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established in Article 20(1) of Directive 2003/37/EC,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
Annex IV to Directive 2009/144/EC is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Directive.
Article 2
1. Member States shall adopt and publish, by 1 April 2014 at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.
When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.
2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
Article 3
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 4
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 26 February 2013.