G/TBT/N/SWE/131  
 
7 July 2016  
(16-3644)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member: SWEDEN  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible: Ministry of the Environment and Energy 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above : 
National Board of Trade (Kommerskollegium) 
Box 6803 
11386 Stockholm +46 8 690 48 00 kommerskollegium@kommers.se   
http://www.kommers.se   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10 .1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other: 
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applic able, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Alkylate-based petrol  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Amendment of the 
law (2011:319) on fuels 
6. Description of content: The specification for alkylate-based petrol is changed so that it 
will be possible for the fuel suppliers to market an alkylate-based petrol with a maximum 
vapour pressure of 95 kilopascals during the part of the year that is not specified as 
"summer" in section 2 in the law on fuels (2011:319). The maximum vapour pressure during the summer period shall still be 65 kilopascals. A maximum vapour pressure that exceeds the maximum vapour pressure of 65 k ilopascals is prohibited by the Euro-pean 
fuel quality directive (98/70/EC). The fuel quality directive does not contain any limits to 
the maximum vapour pressure during the rest of the year, only during the summer period. The proposal is therefore in accordance with the fuel quality directive. It is voluntary for 
the fuel supplier to choose to supply alkylate-based petrol with a maximum vapour 
pressure of 95 kilopascals during the winter or to supply alkylate-based petrol with a maximum vapour pressure of 65 kilopascals all year round. Alkylate- based petrol with a 
maximum vapour pressure of 95 kilopascals can reduce the risk on human health and the 
environment. Alkylate-based petrol with a maximum vapour pressure of 95 kilopascals 
shall be classified as alkylate-based petrol in environmental class 1 and thereby taxed as such. The environmental classification has a bearing on the taxation of the fuel.  G/TBT/N/SWE/131 
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: The proposal aims to allow the marketing of alkylate-based petrol with a 
maximum vapour pressure of 95 kilopascals during the winter. Alkylate-based petrol with a 
maximum vapour pressure of 95 kilopascals is neces-sary to ensure that the engines of 
snow-mobiles ignite in cold tempera-tures. Furthermore alkylate-based petrol has better health- and environ-mental properties than regular winter gasoline. Alkylate-based petrol 
contains significantly lower permissible levels of, among other things, benzene, aromatics, 
polyaromatics and olefins. The use of alkylate-based petrol with a higher vapour pressure reduces the fuels health- and en-vironmental impact for drivers of snow-mobiles and also 
for those who use chainsaws and snow blowers. It is voluntary for fuel suppliers to supply 
alkylate-based petrol with a maximum vapour pressure of 95 kilo-pascals during the part of the year that is not specified as "summer"  in section 2 in the law on fuels (2011:319).  
8. Relevant documents: Draft amendment of the law (2011:319) on fuels; impact 
assessment 
9. Proposed date of adoption: Autumn 2016 
Proposed date of entry into force: 18 October 2016   
10. Final date for comments: 60 days from notification 
11. Texts available from: Nati onal enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body: