Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement which lays down approval and market surveillance rules for all L-category vehicles in the EU, i.e. about 30 million mopeds, scooters, motorbikes, all-terrain vehicles and quads. According to MEPs, the agreement will make motorbikes safer and greener.

MEPs and the Council reached a provisional agreement on market surveillance rules for all L-category vehicles in the EU. They cover about 30 million vehicles, including mopeds, scooters, motorbikes, all-terrain vehicles and quads. They inserted more stringent safety requirements for them, as well as tougher emission targets. These vehicles account for 16% of accident deaths on Europe's roads, even though they make up only 2% of road traffic. In December 2011, MEPs also adopted a report which highlights the advantages of two-wheeled vehicles for Europe's cities.

Under the new rules, MEPs agreed with the Council on measures such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS) that would have to be fitted to all "bigger" motorbikes (i.e. those over 125 cc), while ABS or combined brake systems (CBS) could be fitted to smaller ones (under 125 cc), including scooters. They also introduced new measures to prevent tampering of powertrains to make vehicles go faster.

For making motorbikes greener, MEPs successfully proposed to bring down emission of pollutants by extending the Euro 3 standards to mopeds from 1 January 2016, as L-category vehicles emit disproportionally high levels of pollutants. The provisionally agreed text still needs to be formally endorsed by Council and Parliament.