Uncertainty over UK tire-labelling plans after Brexit

London – The UK has yet to decide a position on tire-labelling requirements after the country’s departure from the EU on 29 March 2019, according to its government’s department for transport (DfT).

In recent guidance, the DfT stated that after Brexit “the requirement to ensure tires are labelled in accordance with [tire labelling regulation] 1222/2009 will continue to apply.”

Regulation 1222/2009 is, however, set to be repealed and replaced with a new EU regulation to come into force in January 2020 – subject to a vote in the European Parliament.

According to a DfT media officer, the department does not yet have a position on the new tire labelling regulation, which is based on proposals by the European Commission.

Among other requirements, this would extend the EU tire-labelling scheme to truck & bus tires, bolster enforcement activities and introduce an EU-wide database for tire-registration.

“These are just proposals at this stage, and we will respond to them in due course,” the DfT spokeswoman explained in a 29 Nov phone call to ERJ.

In a 20 Nov statement, the Tyre Industry Federation said it believed that DfT’s earlier guidance indicated an intention to stay aligned with EU tire labelling rules going forward

The umbrella group for the UK tire sector, however, indicated that it would raise questions about related enforcement and resourcing issues in talks being arranged by the government department.