The original deadlines for the production and placing on the market of NRMM fitted with <56kW and ≥130kW transition engines were the 30th June and 31st of December 2020. The amended legislation mitigates some of the most significant disruptions to the sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and delivers legal certainty on the most urgent deadlines of 2020.

The industry associations representing the NRMM sector, namely CECE, CEMA, EGMF, EUnited Municipal Equipment & Cleaning, Europgen and FEM, welcomed the announcement.

CECE secretary general Riccardo Viaggi said: “The Parliament’s vote was vital to prevent further economic damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to our manufacturing industries and protect thousands of qualified jobs that depend on them.”

 “Neutral from an environmental perspective, this measure will not soften the stringency of the European legislation,” added Viaggi. “Instead, it will give our industry the necessary time to install transition engines, already acquired, in machines, place them on the market and be compliant with ever more demanding requirements. On the opposite, inaction would have led to unnecessary waste of raw materials and resources, in addition to the financial costs.”