Priority question for written answer P-002518/2020 to the Commission
Rule 138
Carlo Calenda, Maria da Graça Carvalho, Jens Geier
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the EU economy, and in particular its manufacturing capacity.
In order to limit the negative impact of the coronavirus crisis, the EU must support the most affected sectors by allowing flexibility in some of its strictest rules.
An example of these rules are the deadlines outlined in Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 and Regulation (EU) 2018/0985 on exhaust emissions. According to these rules, manufacturers have until 30 June 2020 to produce non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) and tractors fitted with transition engines (56kW-130kW). Then, they have until 31 December 2020 to put these machines on the EU market.
Given the disruption to the supply of components and the shutdown of production sites, manufacturers will not be able to meet these deadlines. In the worst case scenario, with limited recycling capacity, thousands of engines and components may have to be scrapped. This will incur high environmental costs and lost revenues.