We identify and keep track of worldwide regulatory changes with the focus on areas such as:
product compliance, product safety, vehicle type approval and homologation, import restrictions, international trade law, radio certification, material compliance, chemistry, environmental regulations, electric vehicles, cybersecurity and autonomous driving.
Below you will find an excerpt of the world News on regulations from these areas.
Please contact us for a comprehensive overview of the topic or specific countries.
In the future, ecodesign rules may apply to a much wider range of products in the EU
The EU Commission is currently carrying out a public consultation about a review of the Ecodesign Directive. The initiative aims to make products placed on the EU market more sustainable. Its goal is to widen the scope of the Ecodesign Directive beyond energy related products and made applicable to the broadest possible range of products.
A couple of days ago, the European Commission decided where OEMs and type approval authorities will have to share and exchange data of certificates of conformity for vehicles
According to the Regulation (EU) 2018/858 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles, the European Commission was supposed to adopt implementing acts setting out, among others, the means of exchange of the data of the certificate of conformity in electronic format.
The European Commission is planning to amend the Regulation (EU) 2019/631 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles
In August 2020, a public consultation about the update of the data that EU countries must monitor and report on CO2 emissions for cars and light vans was carried out by the European Commission. Under discussion was a draft delegated regulation amending Annexes I, II and III to Regulation (EU) 2019/631 to update the monitoring parameters and clarify certain aspects relating to the change in the regulatory test procedure.
On the 1st September 2020, the Regulation (EU) 2018/858 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles started to apply
The Regulation was adopted in May 2018 to replace the Directive 2007/46/EC establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles, their systems and components. The main change is that the new regulation significantly overhauls and tightens the previous type approval and market surveillance system.
In the Official Journal of the European Union, new list of harmonized standards for the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU was published
The list is contained in the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1146 of 31 July 2020, which amends the Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1956 as regards harmonised standards for certain household appliances, etc. The new Decision implements several changes to the existing list.
A new European Commission’s Communication summarizes the main changes after the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021 – unfortunately, there are still many unknowns
Recently, the European Commission published its Communication entitled “Getting ready for changes – Communication on readiness at the end of the transition period between the European Union and the United Kingdom”, in which it described the main changes in the EU-UK relations which will take place starting from 2021. The document covers the impact of the Brexit on different sectors and helps businesses to prepare for it.
The evaluation of the EU Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators carried out by the European Commission may result in a new Batteries Directive already in autumn 2020
In 2019, the European Commission announced its intention to review EU Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators. After a public feedback period that ran from 28 May 2020 to 9 July 2020, the adoption of a new directive is planned for the 3rd quarter of 2020.
The European Commission has published the draft Commission Implementing Regulation laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144
The Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 establishes type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components, as regards their general safety. The draft Commission Implementing Regulation implementing it concerns administrative provisions and technical requirements as regards vehicle systems and components, such as demist/defrost, spray-suppression systems, gear shift indicator, wheel guards, etc
The European Commission has published a draft implementing regulation on the European Type Approval Exchange System
It lays down rules on the online data exchange and the notification of EU type-approvals under Regulation (EU) 2018/858. The draft Commission Implementing Regulation establishes the European Type Approval Exchange System which is supposed to be a common secure electronic exchange System.
The European Commission is carrying out a public consultation on a new emissions standard Euro 7 for vehicles. The new regulation is planned for the 4th quarter of 2021
A couple of days ago, the European Commission announced a public consultation on Euro 7 – European vehicle emissions standards for cars, vans, lorries and buses. The initiative is a part of the European Green Deal and the EU’s commitment to accelerate the shift to sustainable and smart mobility.
Very recently, the European Commission has announced a public consultation about a possible review of the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). The feedback period ends on the 1 September 2020
GPSD provides the EU legal framework for the safety of non-food consumer products to the extent that there are no specific provisions with the same safety objective in other EU legislation, such as EU harmonised legislation for specific products.
The new Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 which implements the new EU vehicle type approval regulation was published recently and will apply from 5 July 2020
The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 implements the Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regards to the administrative requirements for the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
In the future, technical documentation for electric and electronic devices will have to comply with the new harmonized standard EN IEC 63000:2018
Recently, the European Commission published the Implementing decision 2020/659 in which a new harmonised standard (EN IEC 63000:2018) for the technical documentation required for assessing materials, components and electrical and electronic equipment under the RoHS Directive was enforced.
New harmonized standards under the EU Machinery Directive have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union
In the beginning of April 2020, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/480 was published which updated the list of harmonized standards under the EU Machinery Directive. The act amended the existing Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/436 on harmonised standards for machinery. 26 new standards were added to the list for the first time and for 24 existing standards a transition period was declared.
New EU Regulation (EU) 2017/821 on conflict minerals in force from 1st of January 2021
A new EU regulation on conflict materials will come into force on 01.01.2021. It will help to restrict trade in four minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) from conflict or high-risk areas, which sometimes finance armed conflicts or are mined in forced labour.
