Since the directive 2000/9/CE, the Member States may no longer issue national regulations regarding the design and manufacturing of safety components and subsystems.
National regulations may only be administrative rules for new installations and modifications, technical rules for the general design of the installations and their infrastructure, and technical rules regarding operation.

1) French administrative rules for new installations and modifications
Any new installation follows an examination process with regard to many different issues including :

• land ownership / urban planning
• forest removal
• visual impact
• water deviation
• generally: environmental impact
• power connection
• aircraft clearance
• network interferences (road and railway crossings, rivers, etc.)
• fire hazard examination
• impact on mountain stability (avalanches, rock falls)
• safety of the planed ropeway

The network of the 8 BDRM, BIRM and BIRMTG only covers the last point.

The entire instruction takes about 3 months and most often leads to an authorisation to build the ropeway.

Once the ropeway is built, the operator needs another authorisation in order to put it into service. BIRM, BDRM and BIRMTG are in charge of delivering this part of the authorisation that deals with the safety of the installation:

• conformity of the general design with French technical regulations, including regulations on infrastructure ;
• qualifications of the persons involved in the construction and verification phases ;
• conformity to the approved project.

After the installation is put into service, all modifications follow a similar path, which may be simplified depending on the importance of the modification.

2)French technical rules for the general design of the installations and their infrastructure, and technical rules regarding operation.
France was the first country to modify its technical regulations in order to comply with the 2000/9/EC directive and the CEN/TC 242 standards.
To know more about French technical rules, click here

Rules and regulations Database
The TITRE databasecontains all the statutory texts applicable to the cableways for passenger transport and guided transport.

This database provides access to all applicable ministerial laws, ordinances, ministerial decrees, departmental orders, ministerial directives, ministerial circulars and technical and safety rules.

Although the database is very comprehensive, the STRMTG cannot guarantee its exhaustiveness, in particular for all texts not issued by the STRMTG. The ultimate reference in this field are the official texts published by the « Journal Officiel» (French governmental publication informing the public of new laws).