Olivier Janin

Europe's materials handling lobby group has welcomed a reprieve on emissions controls in the European Union.

Earlier this week, the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee (IMCO) adopted an opinion on the proposal for a revision of Directive 97/68 on exhaust emissions from non-road mobile machinery. Directive 97/68/EC attempts to harmonise the laws of the EU member states limiting emissions from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery, including materials handling equipment.

In February, the European Materials Handling Federation (FEM) raised concerns about the transition period to tighter controls, calling for an increase by one year (and two in the case of mobile cranes), to give materials handling manufacturers which do not produce their own engines sufficient time to adapt their machines. The federation also suggested that a provision on replacement engines be introduced so that failed engines can be replaced with new ones without changing the whole machine.

FEM welcomes the outcome of this week's vote, especially the extension of the transition period, the introduction of a replacement engines provision and the specific treatment of mobile cranes.

"We feel the IMCO Committee has adequately addressed machine manufacturers' technical and economic constraints without affecting the environmental objectives of the legislation, which we fully support," says FEM secretary general Olivier Janin.

The proposed extension of the transition period is particularly welcomed by materials handling equipment manufacturers which do not produce their own engines and are therefore entirely dependent on the availability of engines from engine manufacturers to start redesigning their machines. "Six additional months certainly decrease the risk of business disruption," he adds.

"The introduction of a replacement engines provision - which exists in the current directive - is also welcome as it will preserve a return on investment for users of machines with a failed engine.

"The IMCO committee also addressed the unique situation of mobile crane manufacturers. Additional transition time will enable them to cope better with the redesigning of some 170 models, all in the same power category and with the extra constraints due to road homologation requirements," according to Janin.

The Environment Committee, which leads on the issue, is now due to adopt its report in mid-July. "We hope the ENVI Committee will follow the same line so that we can achieve a balanced outcome and look optimistically at an adoption by the end of the year," says Janin.

Created in 1953, the European Materials Handling Federation represents European manufacturers of materials handling, lifting and storage equipment. FEM speaks for 15 members, representing some 1,000 companies and employing 160,000 people.