Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1564
of 6 August 2020
amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/985 as regards its transitional provisions in order to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 February 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of agricultural and forestry vehicles, and in particular Article 19(6) thereof,
OJ L 60, 2.3.2013, p. 1.
Whereas:
(1) Pursuant to Article 19(3) of Regulation (EU) No 167/2013, the engines fitted in agricultural and forestry vehicles follow Stage V pollutant emissions limits and transitional provisions laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2016 on requirements relating to gaseous and particulate pollutant emission limits and type-approval for internal combustion engines for non-road mobile machinery, amending Regulations (EU) No 1024/2012 and (EU) No 167/2013, and amending and repealing Directive 97/68/EC (OJ L 252, 16.9.2016, p. 53).
(2) As a result of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Regulation (EU) 2020/1040 of the European Parliament and of the Council extended the transition period provided for in Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 by 12 months for certain engine sub-categories.
Regulation (EU) 2020/1040 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2020 amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 as regards its transitional provisions in order to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis (OJ L 231, 17.7.2020, p. 1).
(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/985 that lays down requirements relating to emission limits and EU type-approval procedures for agricultural and forestry vehicles as well as for their engines should therefore be amended accordingly.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/985 of 12 February 2018 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards environmental and propulsion unit performance requirements for agricultural and forestry vehicles and their engines and repealing Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/96 (OJ L 182, 18.7.2018, p. 1).
(4) Given in addition that the prolongation of the transitional provisions will have no environmental impact, as the transition engines concerned have already been produced, coupled with the fact that it is difficult to predict the exact duration of the delays caused by the COVID-19 disruption, the extension of the relevant periods should be of 12 months as provided in Regulation (EU) 2020/1040.
(5) In view of the fact that the transition period provided for in Article 13(5) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/985 for certain engines is to expire on 31 December 2020 and that manufacturers had until 30 June 2020 to produce the agricultural and forestry vehicles fitted with transition engines of those sub-categories, this Regulation should enter into force as a matter of urgency on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and should apply from 1 July 2020. Such provision is warranted by the unforeseeable and sudden nature of the COVID‐19 outbreak as well as by the need to ensure legal certainty and equal treatment of manufacturers regardless of whether they produce agricultural and forestry vehicles before or after the date of entry into force of this Regulation,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: