23.9.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 254/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2002/75/EC of 2 September 2002 amending Council Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 80(2) thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 96/98/EC of 20 December 1996 on marine equipment ('), as last amended by Commission Directive 2001/53/EC (3), and in particular first and second indent of Article 17 thereof, Whereas: (1)  For the purposes of Directive 96/98/EC, the international conventions, including the 1974 SOLAS Convention, and testing standards are those, together with their amendments, in force on 1 January 2001. (2)  Amendments to the SOLAS Convention and to other international conventions and new testing standards have entered into force after 1 January 2001 or will enter into force shortly. (3)  New rules regarding the equipment to be placed on board ships have been laid down by those instruments. (4)  Directive 96/98/EC should be amended accordingly. (5)  The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee set up by Article 12 of Council Directive 93/75/EEC (3), HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: Article 1 Directive 96/98/EC is amended as follows: () OJ L 46, 17.2.1997, p. 25. () OJ L 204, 28.7.2001, p. 1. () O] L 247, 5.10.1993, p. 19. 1. Article 2 is amended as follows: In points (c), (d) and (n), the date ‘1 January 2001’ is replaced by the date ‘1 July 2002} 2. Annex A is replaced by the text in the annex to this Directive. Article 2 Equipment listed as ‘new item’ under the heading ‘item designation’ of Annex A.1 which was manufactured before the date referred to in Article 3(1) in accordance with procedures for type-approval already in force before the date of adoption of this Directive within the territory of the Member State mentioned below, as well as equipment listed in Annex A.1, Sections 4 and 5, bearing the mark and manufactured before the date referred to in Article 3(1), may be placed on the market and on board a Community ship, the certificates of which were issued by or on behalf of a Member State in accordance with international conventions, during the two years following that referred to in Article 3(1). Atrticle 3 1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive not later than six months after its date of entry into force. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof. When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made. 2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the provisions of national law, which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.