Council of the EU says mopeds and motorcycles should be included in the end-of-life vehicles regulation.

The Council of the EU has adopted its position on the end-of-life vehicles (ELV) regulation, legislation that dictates how vehicles are recycled, reused, and disposed of when they reach the end of their life.

The Council of the EU represents the member states’ governments. It is where national ministers and experts from each EU country meet to (amongst other tasks) negotiate and adopt EU laws.

The Council’s position increases the level of ambition of the regulation, including in its scope heavy-duty trucks and two- or three-wheel bikes and quadricycles. The Council wants the scope of the Regulation to be expanded to include: vehicles of categories L1e to L7e (unlike the initial Commission proposal of L3e to L7e), including mopeds, two- and three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles.

Here’s a breakdown of the categories:

• L1e: Light two-wheel powered vehicles, like mopeds with a maximum design speed of 45 km/h.
• L2e: Three-wheel mopeds.
• L3e: Two-wheel motorcycles.
• L4e: Two-wheel motorcycles with a side-car.
• L5e: Powered tricycles.
• L6e: Light quadricycles.
• L7e: Heavy quadricycles.

The Council agrees that the Regulation shall not apply to vehicles of historical interest as defined in Article 3, point (7), of Directive 2014/45/EU: ‘vehicle of historical interest’ means any vehicle which is considered to be historical by the Member State of registration or one of its appointed authorizing bodies and which fulfills all the following conditions:

• it was manufactured or registered for the first time at least 30 years ago;
• its specific type, as defined in the relevant Union or national law, is no longer in production;
• it is historically preserved and maintained in its original state and has not undergone substantial changes in the technical characteristics of its main components;

The Council added requirements that for every change of ownership of used vehicles, the seller should present documentation proving that the vehicle is not an ELV. This requirement will not apply to sales between individuals, except for those concluded online, since they constitute a higher-risk situation. The Council position clarifies the definition of ELV and introduces exemptions for vehicles of special cultural interest and for old cars restored to be used on the road again.

The Council is now ready to start negotiations with the European Parliament, as soon as the Parliament adopts its position later this year.

FEMA says:

• Exclude motorcycles from the directive entirely or allow member states to set their own rules.
• Recognize hobbyist bikes over 30 years old and allow incomplete restoration projects without labeling them as waste.
• Keep scrapping free of charge.
• Let owners decide when their vehicle is truly at the end of its life.
• Remove strict resale conditions for used parts and allow private transactions to continue without burdensome requirements.
• Permit the sale and export of restoration projects.
• Fix the End-of-Life Vehicles definition so that uninspected or undocumented motorcycles aren’t automatically deemed waste.

Motorcyclists aren’t against taking environmental responsibility, but the proposed End-of-Life Vehicles regulation doesn’t account for the unique culture, practicality, and already-efficient reuse systems of the motorcycle world.

Written by Wim Taal

Top image by Wim Taal

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