No L 300/72 -Official Journal of the European Communities i 15.11. 84 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 17 September 1984 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to common provisions for lifting and mechanical handling appliances (84/528/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 Com- mission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Whereas in each Member State mandatory provisions determine the technical characteristics of construction, verification and/or the operation of lifting and mechanical handling appliances; whereas these requirements differ from one Member State to another; whereas such differences hinder trade and may create unequal conditions of competition within the Community; Whereas these hindrances to the establishment and functioning of the common market can be reduced or - indeed eliminated if the same requirements apply in each of the Member States either in addition to or in place of their existing laws; Whereas a check on compliance with these technical requirements is necessary to provide effective protection for users and third parties; whereas the existing inspection procedures differ from one Member State to another; whereas in order to achieve free movement of lifting and mechanical handling appliances within the common market and to obviate multiple inspections which are in effect barriers to the free movement of these appliances, arrangements should be made for the mutual recognition of inspection procedures by the Member States; Whereas in order to facilitate this mutual recognition of inspection procedures it is necessary, in particular, to (1) O] No C 221, 29. 9. 1975, p. 1. (2) O] No C 7, 12. 1. 1976, p. 37. (3) O] No C 131, 12. 6. 1976, p. 31. establish appropriate administrative procedures before these machines are placed on the market, namely: EEC type-approval/component type-approval, EEC type- examination, EEC verification, EEC inspection and EEC self-certification; whereas it is necessary to harmonize the criteria to be considered when appointing the approved bodies responsible for carrying out EEC type-examination; Whereas in each Member State the responsibility of the bodies carrying out the checks is defined differently, making harmonization necessary; Whereas the presence on a lifting or mechanical handling appliance or component of EEC marks showing that it has undergone the. appropriate inspection indicates that it satisfies the relevant technical requirements and therefore makes it unnecessary, on importation, to repeat the inspections which. have already been carried out; Whereas national rules concerning lifting and mechanical handling appliances cover numerous categories of lifting and mechanical handling appliances of widely varying uses, capacities and loads; whereas this Directive should lay down the general provisions dealing, in particular, with EEC type-approval, EEC component type-approval, EEC type-examination, EEC verification, EEC inspection and EEC self-certification procedures; whereas separate Directives for each category of lifting and mechanical handling appliance will lay down the technical requirements as to design, inspection procedures for the appliances and their components and, where appropriate, the conditions under which Community technical requirements are to replace the national provisions in force;. Whereas this Directive shall not affect the provisions of " Directive 70/156/EEC (*); Whereas technical progress requires prompt adaptation of the technical requirements specified in the Directives relating to lifting and mechanical handling appliances; whereas in order to facilitate the implementation of the measures necessary to this end, it is necessary to ensure (4) OJ No L 42, 23. 2. 1970, p. 1.