91999E2379

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2379/99

by Françoise Grossetête (PPE-DE) to the Council

(13 December 1999)

Subject: UN/ECE Regulations R 108 and R 109

The controlled use of natural resources is a vital component of sustainable development and the EU's waste management strategy gives priority to prevention, and where that is impossible to recycling, re-use and recovery.

The development of a high-quality European tyre retread and remould industry would allow such tyres to be re-used and would reduce non-renewable raw material consumption while ensuring high safety levels for consumers.

At present the quality of retread and remould tyres on the Single Market varies widely and these disparities help cast doubt on their reliability, thus depriving the consumer of some of the aforementioned benefits.

The aim of international regulations UNO/ECE R 108 and R 109 is to improve the quality of remould and retread tyres.

In view of the Commission's answer to Question 68/H-0114/99(1), could the Council state its position on the early accession of the EU to these two Regulations?

(1) Debates of the European Parliament (March 1999).

Reply

(31 January 2000)

As indicated in the Honourable Member's question, the aim of international Regulations UNO/ECE R 108 and R 109 is to improve the quality of remould and retread tyres. At present, Community legislation does not cover remould and retread tyres.

Council Directive 92/23/EEC relating to tyres for motor vehicles and their trailers and to their fitting applies to any new pneumatic tyre designed for the equipment of vehicles to which Directive 70/156/EEC applies.

At this stage, the Commission has not forwarded to the Council either a proposal for Community legislation on remould and retread tyres or initiatives which could enable the issue of the Community's accession to Regulations R 108 and R 109 to be examined.