ETRMA to challenge metric-only directive

By David Shaw, ERJ staff

Brussels - The European tyre industry is concerned about the implications of EU Directive 80/181/EEC, which as formulated at present, requires all goods sold in the EU to be measured only in metric dimensions. The directive is currently due to come into force from the end of 2009. However, it has already been delayed twice, each time by ten years.

Currently tyre and rim diameters are given in inch dimensions. These dimensions are confirmed in international standards governing the dimensions of tyres and wheels around the world.

Fazilet Cinaralp secretary-general of the ETRMA, the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association said, "the world tyre industry is concerned by this provision." She added, "It is in no-one's interests to change the standards." She said the ETRMA is working hard to ensure that the industry will not have to change moulds, dimensions or any other equipment and to ensure that tyres made in the EU remain compatible and interchangeable with tyres made elsewhere in the world.

She said many industries stand to suffer if the directive is strictly imposed and enforced. She said that different industry representatives, including the tyre industry represented by the ETRMA, will meet with the Commission before the end of 2006 to discuss the implications of the directive and to consult on a possible revision of this directive.

There are a number of alternative solutions to the problem, said Cinaralp. One is simply to extend the deadline for a further 10 years.

A second suggestion, supported by UNICE, is to make the directive voluntary and leave individual industries to decide for themselves on a global basis which dimensioning systems to adopt.

A third solution has been proposed internally within the tyre industry, but not confirmed by laywers for the EC or any other parties, and that is to change the meaning of the 16 in a 16-inch tyre, to become code-16. Thus, there is no reference to inch dimensions, but the markings can remain unchanged in the face of the directive.

In the end, said Cinaralp, the industry remains firm in the view that, "no one is prepared to reconsider these markings if we are required to do this."