No L 2/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 3. 1. 85 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 19 December 1984 on the weights, dimensions and certain other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles (85/3/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Articles 75 and 76 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (*), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Whereas bearing in mind the conclusions of the Euro- pean Councils on 19 and 20 March 1984, 25 and 26 June 1984 and 3 and 4 December 1984 the Council should implement without delay the parallel processes of liberalization and harmonization of which this Directive forms part and to that end will adopt instru- ments, by the end of February 1987 at the latest, which will set out in a coherent fashion the periods over which liberalization and harmonization will become effective ; Whereas the differences between standards currently in force in the Member States with regard to the weights and dimensions of commercial road vehicles are such as to have an adverse effect on the conditions of competition and constitute an obstacle to traffic between Member States ; Whereas it is therefore necessary, in the framework of the common transport policy, to establish common standards for the weights, dimensions and certain other characteristics of certain vehicles which will permit the improved- use of these vehicles in traffic between Member States ; Whereas these standards must create a balance between the rational and economical use of the said commercial road vehicles, the requirements of infras- tructure maintenance and those of road safety ; () OJ No C 124, 17.12. 1971, p. 63 and O] No C 144, 15. 6. 1981, p. 80. () OJ No C 61, 10. 6. 1972, p. 5 and OJ No C 113, 7. 5. - 1980, p. 14. Whereas it is desirable that the motor vehicles -in question should conform to Community standards on noise, safety and emissions ; Whereas additional technical requirements related to the weights and dimensions of commercial vehicles may apply to vehicles registered in a Member State ; whereas these requirements must not constitute an obstacle to the circulation of commercial vehicles between Member States ; Whereas it seems appropriate to permit Member States, which authorize higher weights and greater dimensions on their territory than those provided for in this Directive, to apply these only to vehicles regis- tered on their territory where they are used in domestic traffic ; whereas such provisions may be less favourable, in their effect on carriers from the other Member States as compared with the national carriers of the State where they would be applied, than those in force at the time when this Directive is adopted ; whereas recourse should therefore be had to Article 76 of the Treaty; Whereas steps should be taken to facilitate the moni- toring of the compliance of vehicles with this Direc- tive ; Whereas the state of certain portions of the road network in Ireland and the United Kingdom does not make it possible at the present stage to apply all the provisions of this Directive ; whereas the application of some of these provisions in those Member States should therefore be temporarily deferred under arran- gements to be laid down by the Council in a Decision to be taken by the end of February 1987 at the latest ; whereas it is not possible to lay down those arrange- ments in this Directive ; whereas in view of the re- quirements for substantial improvements to the rele- vant portions of the road networks which will take a certain number of years to complete, the conditions referred to in Article 75 (3) of the Treaty are at present fulfilled in those Member States and are expected to remain so when the Council takes its Decision ; whereas in consequence that Decision will then be adopted unanimously ; : Whereas the weight per driving axle of five or six-axle combined vehicles should be fixed as soon as possible ; Whereas the facilitation of combined transport using 40-foot ISO containers should be taken into account,