The legislative procedure on narrow track tractors took an important step in the European Parliament yesterday. The amendments sought by the agricultural machinery manufacturing industries – especially by Assotrattori in FederUnacoma with the support of the European Committee of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers, CEMA – and backed in the chamber by MEP Elisabetta Gardini, European Parliament rapporteur on the ENVI Committee, won partial approval to make room for the positive evolution of the issue.
Two of the three amendments aimed at changing the timing for implementing the new Regulation on engine exhaust after-treatment for the engines of these specialist tractors, specifically built for operations in vineyards and fruit orchards, were approved and the third failed to reach the quorum required.
The first amendment approved commits the European Commission to conduct further analyses before extending the Regulation to the engines of mobile off-road narrow track tractors in practical recognition of the objective difficulties for installing these bulky after-treatment devices under the hoods of these tractors.
The second amendment passed sets forth that narrow track tractors now on the market will be totally redesigned only when the new Regulation is enacted to avoid the need for partial modifications required for a brief transition period. The third amendment requesting a longer delay before implementing the measures was not passed.
Thus the results achieved yesterday in Brussels are keeping the matter on track by providing a margin for reaching a realistic and sustainable regulatory solution for the manufacturing industries.
At this point, the legislative procedure calls for a final phase of three-way negotiations among the members of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. The discussions are expected to conclude in December 2015 with final approval of a Regulation for mobile off-road machine engines. This means that there are still three months time to convince the EU legislators of the technical and industrial requirements of the companies manufacturing narrow track tractors, enabling them to avoid the risk of irreversible damage for this compartment of mechanical engineering.
Source: FederUnacoma
