Upcoming Discussion on the Future of the Outdoor Noise Directive (OND): CECE to Engage Actively

• The European Commission’s DG GROW has announced a brainstorming session on 13 March 2025 to discuss the future of the Outdoor Noise Directive (OND).

• CECE will actively participate in the session to represent the European construction equipment industry’s perspectives.

• The session will explore various policy options, including merging the OND with the Machinery Directive.

• CECE will internally discuss the proposed policy options and formalize a contribution to the brainstorming session.

• Recent updates include the revision of Annex III of the OND and the publication of the European Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1208.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and SMEs (DG GROW) has announced a brainstorming session to discuss potential policy options for the future of the Outdoor Noise Directive (OND). This initiative presents an opportunity for stakeholders to provide input and shape the direction of this critical regulatory framework.

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The meeting of the expert group is scheduled to take place on 13 March 2025, with contributions requested by 27 February 2025. CECE will surely attend this meeting to ensure that our industry’s voice is heard. The session will explore various policy options, including ideas outlined in recent studies such as the supporting study for the impact assessment and the study on merging the OND with the Machinery Directive.

It is important to note that this is a very first step in the process, constituting a brainstorming of ideas among Member States, the European Commission, and relevant stakeholders. The future of the OND is still not yet decided, and thus, this session will focus on discussing potential directions and options.

CECE’s Planned Response

As the voice of the European construction equipment industry, CECE will actively engage in this initiative to ensure the industry’s perspectives are well represented. Within the CECE Project Team on Noise, we will:

1. Internally discuss the proposed policy options to evaluate their potential implications for the industry.

2. Formalise a CECE contribution to this brainstorming session, highlighting the priorities and concerns of CECE members.

3. Establish an open dialogue with the European Commission and other stakeholders to contribute constructively to the discussions on the OND’s future framework.

This initiative represents another step in the potential reform of the legislation. As stakeholders may recall, Annex III of the OND was recently revised, and the European Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1208, amending noise measurement methods for outdoor equipment, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 2 May 2024. For further information, please refer to the relevant CECE article on this update.

We encourage our members to review the relevant studies available on the OND website. CECE is committed to ensuring that any updates to the OND reflect the realities of the construction equipment industry while supporting effective noise legislation.