28.3.78 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 81/1 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 21 December 1977 amending Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (78/315/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 100 thereof, * Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia- ment (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2), Whereas certain systems or parts of vehicles which form a separate technical unit are already marketed both separately and after being fitted to a vehicle; whereas, if it is possible to check such systems or parts before they are fitted to a vehicle, their free movement may be facilitated by the introduction of EEC type-approval also for these separate technical units; Whereas it is therefore desirable that Council Directive 70/156/EEC of 6 February 1970 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type- approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (3) should (1) OJ No C 118, 16. 5. 1977, p. 29. (3) O] No C 114, 11. 5. 1977, p. 1. (3) OJ No L 42, 23. 2. 1970, p. 1. be supplemented without delay by provisions intro- ducing such type-approval, without prejudice to other amendments to that Directive, in particular those con- tained in the Commission’s proposal of 5 January 1977; Whereas the EEC type-approval of separate technical units to be fitted to vehicles simplifies the motor vehicle type-approval procedure by avoiding the repetition of certain checks during type-approval; whereas it must be possible, when granting EEC type-approval for separate technical units, to lay down restrictions for their use and/or conditions for their fitting; Whereas it must always remain possible to adapt the separate Directives to technical progress in the pro-. duction of separate technical units; whereas the proce- dure laid down in Article 13 of Directive 70/156/EEC is appropriate for this purpose, HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: Article 1 The following Article 9a shall be added after Article 9: ‘Article 9a 1. Where the separate Directives make express provision for so doing, EEC type-approval may also