No more collection of noise data

Last year, the European Commission started working on a directive to delete the reporting requirement from Outdoor Noise Directive 2000/14/EC.

The proposal is part of the EU’s REFIT (Regulatory Fitness and Performance) Programme. This programme ensures that legislation remains fit for purpose with minimal burdens.

Article 16 of Outdoor Noise Directive 2000/14/EC requires that manufacturers send a copy of the EU Declaration of Conformity to the authorities. Authorities collect the data and publish it periodically.

The original intention was to provide ‘a basis for informed consumer choice’. The Commission now finally concludes that it is an unnecessary administrative burden, since consumers are already informed of the noise emission level via the mandatory noise marking affixed on outdoor equipment. The noise level information is also included in the instruction manuals.

Consequently, it is proposed to delete Article 16 of Directive 2000/14/EC.

This week, the European Parliament published a corrigendum to its adoption of the Commission’s proposal. It looks as if the proposal will be finalised soon making the life of outdoor machinery manufacturers a bit easier.

The obligation to mention the noise level on the EU Declaration of Conformity still remains.