WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CHE/67 
11 August 2006 
 (06-3874) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   SWITZERLAND
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible: 
Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) 
Air Pollution Control and NIR Division Dr. Martin Schiess 
CH-3003 Berne 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above: 
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO/WHNT) 
Effingerstrasse 1 
CH-3003 Berne  Phone:  (+41) 31 324 07 60 Fax.:  (+41) 31 324 09 59 e-mail:  flaminia.depourtales@seco.admin.ch 
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 applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Diesel passenger cars 
and light commercial vehicles as well as agricultural and forestry tractors. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft Ordinance on 
measures to reduce particle emissions from diesel engines (2 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:   The draft ordinance stipulates that with effect from 1 March 2007 
for diesel passenger cars and light commerc ial vehicles and from 1 January 2009 for 
forestry and agricultural tractors may only be imported or manufactured in Switzerland if they do not exceed the maximum particulate mass emission limit value 5mg/km and0.025 g/kWh respectively. G/TBT/N/CHE/67 
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7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
Pollution of the air by particulate matter is one of the biggest challenges for Switzerland’s 
environment policy.  Urban centres and locations  near main roads are exposed to excessive 
levels of particulate matter, and the appli cable ambient air quality standards are exceeded 
frequently and significantly.  Each year, more than 3,700 people die prematurely in 
Switzerland as a consequence of e xposure to particulate matter.  
In Switzerland, the problem of particulate matter pollution is especially severe during the 
winter.  The country’s topographical situation and climatic conditions give rise to lengthy 
inversion periods with extended low stratus and very little air exchange.  These conditions 
occur especially frequently in the “Mittelland” plains, a region that is almost entirely 
surrounded by mountains and is inhabited by the majority of the country’s population. 
Diesel soot is one of the most hazardous compound of particulate matter.  It is carcinogenic 
and is already harmful in small quantities.  In view of this, Swiss environmental legislation 
does not specify a limit value for diesel soot, but stipulates strict minimisation requirements. 
The necessary technology for reducing emissions of diesel soot already exists: by equipping 
diesel vehicles and machines with efficient par ticulate filters it is possible to reduce diesel 
soot emissions by more than 95 percent.  Diesel  particulate filters are already available for 
almost all the most widely used models of diesel cars and light commercial vehicles, and a 
similar situation is also foreseeable for tract ors.  In order to ensure that the existing 
technology is rapidly established on the market, certain incentives are required, e.g. the 
introduction of more stringent particulate emission limit values. 
The Swiss government has initiated an action pl an in order to tackle the problem of 
excessive emissions of particulate matter, and in  particular diesel soot.  The aim of the 14 
various measures is to reduce the levels of pa rticulate matter and diesel soot from all main 
sources. 
The Swiss Federal Council has resolved to notify the EU/EFTA and WTO about the 
following measures included in the above-mentioned action plan: 
• Premature introduction of a particul ate emission limit value as of 2007
(in accordance with the proposal by the EU Commission for Euro 5, 
introduction within the EU is planned for the period from 2008 to 2010) for new light vehicles (cars, vans, mini-buses) with diesel engines.  Based on 
the present-day status of knowledge, it will only be possible for the vehicles 
concerned to comply with the new li mit value if they are equipped with 
diesel particulate filters. 
 
• Premature introduction of a particulate emission limit value for new tractors 
with effect from 2009 (in accordance with section III B of Directive 
2005/13/EC, planned for introduction within the EU in the period from 
2011 to 2013).  Here, too, based on the present-day status of knowledge, the vehicles concerned will only be able to comply with the new limit value if they are equipped with diesel particulate filters. 
In Switzerland, both diesel cars and tractors are major sources of carcinogenic diesel soot. 
The notified measures against diesel soot are both called for and supported by Parliament, 
all cantonal governments and broad segments of the population.  The Federal Council 
decided in favour of more stringent particul ate emission limit values after first examining a 
variety of alternative measures such as economic incentives (bonus/penalty system). 
  G/TBT/N/CHE/67 
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  8. Relevant documents:   Legal bases: 
 Federal Law relating to the Protection of the Environment (LPE) http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/8/814.01.fr.pdf  
Ordinance on Air Pollution Control (OPair) 
http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/ rs/8/814.318.142.1.fr.pdf 
 Federal Road Traffic Act (LCR) http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/7/741.01.fr.pdf 
 
Ordinance on the Technical Requirements for Road Vehicles (OETV) http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/7/741.41.fr.pdf  Ordinance on the Technical Requirements for Motor Vehicles and their Trailers (OETV1) 
http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/7/741.412.fr.pdf 
 Ordinance relating to technical Requirements for agricultural Tractors and their Trailers (OETV2) http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/7/741.413.fr.pdf 
 
Ordinance on the Type Approval of Motor Vehicles (ORT) http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/7/741.511.fr.pdf  Action plan to reduce particulate matter (Faktenblatt 16.06.2006) http://www.umwelt-schweiz.ch/buwal/eng/ medien/presse/artikel/20060616/01239/ 
index.html 
Proposed date of adoption:   15 December 2006 9. 
Proposed date of entry into force:    
1 March 2007 and 1 January 2009 
respectively 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from the day of notification. 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body: