52003AE0922

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on stands for two-wheel motor vehicles (codified version)"

(COM(2003) 147 final - 2003/0059 (COD))

(2003/C 234/05)

On 9 April 2003 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 95 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 25 June 2003. The rapporteur was Mr Pesci.

At its 401st Plenary Session on 16 and 17 July 2003 (meeting of 16 July), the European Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 111 votes to none with two abstentions.

1. The purpose of the proposal is to codifying in a single text all legislative instruments adopted since 1993 on stands for two-wheel motor vehicles.

2. The Committee considers the codification of all texts in a single directive to be very useful. Simplification is of great importance in the context of the single market: failure to simplify could hamper industrial development as a whole, and certainly in the motor vehicle sector. It has been assured that this codification contains no substantial change and its sole purpose is to render Community legislation clear and transparent. The Committee fully endorses this objective and, having received the above-mentioned assurance, welcomes the proposal.

Brussels, 16 July 2003.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger Briesch