Ref: IP/96/342

Brussels, 24 April 1996: At its meeting held on 23 April 1996 the regulatory Committee for the adaptation of motor vehicle directives to technical Progress (CATP) approved the Commission revised proposals for three directives relating to seat belts, seat belt anchorages and seat strength for Minibuses and Medium and Large Coaches. The proposals cover other subjects, including airbag warning labels and head restraints.

Summary of the approved Proposals
The three directives amend directives on safety belts (1) , seat belt anchorages (2) and seat strength (3) which are part of the European type approval system for minibuses and coaches. The key provisions of the directives stipulate that manufacturers will have to fit 3-point seat belts in all seating positions of minibuses (vehicles of less than 3.5 tonnes) and at least 2-point belts and energy absorbing seats in all large coaches in order for their vehicles to benefit from free circulation (4) in the Community. For mid size coaches manufacturers will have the choice whether to fit 3-point belts or 2-point belts and energy absorbing seats.

Optional from 1 January 1997, the measures will come into force for new model types in October 1997 for large and medium sized coaches and in October 1999 for minibuses, reflecting the fact that manufacturers need a longer time period to prepare vehicles to have 3-point belts. The measures will apply to all new vehicles (i.e. not just to new models) 2 years after the above dates.

These measures are an important breakthrough in improving road safety for bus and coach passengers form part of an integrated approach to bus and coach safety announced by Commissioner Martin Bangemann in conjunction with the then Commissioners for Transport and the Internal Market in March 1994. These new directives will be complemented by another important and new piece of legislation on the technical prescriptions for buses and coaches (aimed at ensuring the stability of these vehicles and protecting passengers in the event of rollover) which the Commission will propose to the Council and the Parliament in the next few months.

The directive on safety belts also includes a provision requiring manufacturers to fix a warning label to the vehicle to warn against the use of a rearward-facing child restraint in seats protected by an airbag. Reflecting the divergence in points of view expressed in the Committee the directive does not at this time specify the precise form of the label ("pictogram") or whether it should contain a text. The Commission is committed however to bring forward a new harmonised label as soon as experts have reached a consensus in the appropriate international fora on the design and content of a label.

Procedure for updating technical legislation
Directive 70/156/EEC, as amended by Directive 92/53/EC, enables the Commission to adapt existing directives in the light of technical progress, thus providing a "fast track" route without having to resort to the co- decision procedure. The three directives relating to seat belts fall within this procedure.

On the basis of a qualified majority of the Member States at a meeting of the Committee for Adaptation to Technical Progress, the Commission may adopt amending directives. This way has become clear now by the CATP's vote. The Commission will adopt the new texts in the next few weeks.

1. Council Directive 77/541/EEC relating to safety belts and restraint systems for motor vehicles.

2. Council Directive 76/115/EEC relating to anchorages for motor vehicle safety belts.

3. Council Directive 74/408/EEC relating to the interior fittings of motor vehicles (strength of seats and of their anchorages).

4. These directives will for the time being remain "optional" in the sense that manufacturers are not obliged to type approve their vehicles against these directives. National prescriptions on safety belts, which may be less severe than the new Community rules, may be retained by certain Member States thereby giving manufacturers the "option" to approve their vehicles to national rules. However there is a clear advantage to manufacturers to opt for approvals to Community rules since only these rules are harmonised and confer the guarantee of free circulation of the vehicle throughout the Community as far as provisions of safety belts are concerned. Once all the separate directives forming "whole vehicle type approval" for buses and coaches are adopted then only the Community system will apply in Europe. Such is the case for cars; from January 1996 new types of cars can only be approved according to the Community system.