Euro 5 - The latest status
The base Euro 5 legislation (Regulation 715/2007) must be complied with by manufacturers of passenger cars since March 2010. The revised Comitology(Regulation 566/2011) for Euro 5 has now entered into force. A new requirement for Vehicle Manufacturers to offer either a VCI testing service or to provide independent VCI makers with the necessary information to do this for themselves, is one of the key components from a Repair and Maintenance perspective. Additional components require Vehicle Manufacturers to provide access to Labour Times to Independent Operators, and the ability for authorised and approved Independent Operators to update a vehicle's Digital Service Record where it exists. Authorisation and approval will be done via a European-wide Accreditation process that is currently being worked out by the Security Forum.
The European Commission will be conducting a review of the state of the automotive market post-Euro 5 to determine what, if any, additional measures might be required to ensure balance in the market.
Security
A key component of the Euro 5 legislation is the establishment of a European-wide accreditation process to enable Independent Operators to access security-relevant modules on vehicles. This has not yet entered the development phase and is awaiting the creation of a formal European Commission Guidance on the exact definition of 'security'.
Euro VI
The Repair and Maintenance aspects of the Euro VI Heavy Duty (HD) are currently being worked upon.
Euro VI HD Repair and Maintenance Information (RMI) components are taken 'mutatis mutandis' from the Euro 5 legislation. It requires HD manufacturers to provide a range of information to Independent Operators. The term 'Independent Operator' in the legislation is far reaching and covers both those involved in workshop repair and those concerned with the manufacture of independent tools or replacement parts. This raises concerns regarding the competitive impact this could have on EU HD manufacturers on markets outside the EU.
It is expected that once the HD Comitology is finalized and submitted for voting, that other draft legislation concerning two and three-wheeled vehicles and agricultural vehicles will gain more traction and attention