Sv: importera äldre tung husbil från Tyskland
EC type approval
In order to remove trade barriers for vehicles in the EU market, national operating licensing processes have been gradually replaced by an EU-wide valid type approval. The authoris­ation of caravans and motor caravans is currently based on the Framework Directive 2007/46/EC regarding EC Type Approval for vehicles and vehicle trailers. Starting on 1 October 1998, it was also possible to register motor caravans on a voluntary basis as M1 vehicles with a special purpose on the basis of EU-uniform regulations. The EU-uniform provisions become binding for motor caravans as of 29 October 2012, and for caravans as of 29 October 2014.
Under the umbrella of Regulation No. 661/2009 regarding the safety of vehicles and trailers, which was published in 2009, the current type approval system of EC directives will be replaced by ECE regulations. In contrast to the EC directives, which are applicable across Europe, ECE regulations can be used across the globe.
This has far-reaching consequences for manufacturers of leisure vehicles. Similar to caravans, motor caravans are considered “special purpose vehicles” and are excluded from numerous individual provisions through Annex XI of the framework directive. In this vein, motor caravans as well as passenger vehicles belong to the M1 vehicle category but are excluded from numerous individual provisions on account of their special use, because motor caravans are usually based on a commercial vehicle chassis and are not able to meet the strict M1 provisions, such as those regarding emissions or noise output. To ensure that these necessary exceptions remain valid under the ECE regulations, the umbrella association of European leisure vehicle manufacturers, ECF, has submitted a recommendation for a revised Annex XI at the request of the commission, which will be discussed in 2012 in an ad-hoc working group under the leadership of the commission.