Earlier this summer, the European Institutions decided to further amend the transitional provisions that were set up for Regulation (EU) 2016/1628. The original Regulation, approved back on 14 September 2016, has defined pollutant emission limits for engines of different power ranges and applications for the non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) with the aim of gradually reducing emissions and phasing out equipment with the most polluting engines. Specific requirements were introduced: related to gaseous and particulate pollutant emission limits; type-approval for internal combustion engines for NRMM; as well as the requirements related to EU type-approval. In inland waterway transport, the NRMM type approved internal combustion engines are also known as the recent developed STAGE V engines.

The latest amendment – Regulation (EU) 2021/1068 – is following a previous Regulation (EU) 2020/1040, only from last year. In both cases, the main goal was to address impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

The pandemic has caused obvious disruptions of the supply chain, which impacted the ability of manufacturers to meet some of the deadlines imposed by the original NRMM Regulation of 2016. Hence, Regulation (EU) 2020/1040 was adopted last year as an amendment to prolong some of the transitional deadlines by 12 months. Given the fact that the COVID-19 crisis kept continuing which caused further delays for production and supply chain, it became necessary to prolong those transitional provisions. Objective has been to ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market, to provide legal certainty and to avoid potential market disruption. As a result, Regulation (EU) 2021/1068 – formally adopted by the European Union on 24 June 2021 – has introduced amendments as regards its transitional provisions for certain machinery fitted with engines in the power ranges greater than or equal to 56 kW and less than 130 kW, and greater than or equal to 300 kW. It was published in the Official Journal on 30 June 2021. The extension of the relevant transition periods is set up for six months regarding the production date of the vessel to install those transitional (CCR II) engines and nine months for placing the transitional (CCR II) engines either in an existing or in a new vessel.

We have put together the consequences of there changes in a coherent layout (accessible below), where the new transition dates are clearly outlined.
You can see it in 4 languages:
English
French
Dutch
German

CESNI and EUROMOT have developed a FAQ document to help interpret the applicable requirements to engines, following new specifications for non‐road mobile machinery (NRMM) as well as ES-TRIN (European Standard laying down Technical Requirements for Inland Navigation vessels).
This FAQ document has been published just now, in July 2021, hence you will find all the relevant answers there, e.g.:

What is the type‐approval date of an engine category?
What is the placing on the market date of an engine category?
What is the production date for the vessel?
Under what conditions may transition engines be installed on board inland navigation vessels?
What engines/vessels are newly in scope?
What type of modification to an engine is permitted without affecting type‐approval?
What is the process to amend a type‐approval?

Also, on the EUROMOT website, you can find a FAQ and a Guidance Note on Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 Stage V and NRMM, both from January 2021.

Daisy Rycquart
Innovation & Greening Committee