Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-06-Speech-3-375"
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"en.20000906.15.3-375"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, my thanks go to Mr de Roo for the work he has done. The reduction of any kind of noise is important both for people’s health and their comfort. For that reason, I feel very positive about the Council’s common position with regard to tyre noise. I am by no means acting as spokesman here for the tyre industry, but, having watched that industry very closely, I nevertheless wish to express my concern about the effect the amendments will have.
The tyre industry is a very fiercely competitive industry, and one that is competitive on a global scale. It is responsible for some very thorough development work and, owing to the nature of tyre technology, it is progressing slowly but surely. The situation will become untenable, however, if there is an attempt to bring in changes too fast, as would seem to be the case on this occasion. If things move too quickly it will mean immense technical problems for the industry, with unnecessary extra costs, which will be reflected in the prices of the products. The consumer is always the one that has to pay. An adequate transition period, however, will guarantee that the new requirements are taken account of at the development stage. Any other course of action would be a waste of resources, because it would take on average three to four years to develop a new tyre model.
The issue becomes especially problematic when we consider that a tyre is a very delicate product in terms of balancing its individual properties. It is not really just black and round, as the layman thinks. When one property of the tyre is improved, it affects the others adversely, so tyre design is really a question of optimising compromises. For example, a broad tyre holds well on asphalt, but tends to start skimming over water easily. On the other hand, a narrow tyre works well on snow. If a tyre’s noise properties were to be essentially improved it would above all impair its ability to hold the road in wet conditions.
I want my fellowmen to drive on safe tyres, above all. I wish the tyre industry and the EU legislators would get together and draw up a realistic timetable for the excellent objectives outlined in this report."@en1
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