# CE2004084EN.01092501.xml

| 3.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 84/925 |
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3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 84/925

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(2004/C 84 E/1022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0962/04

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(29 March 2004)

Subject:   The increasing dangers to public health and the environment caused by the increase in emissions of small particulate matter from motor vehicle engines

Subject:

| 1. | Is the Commission aware that, despite the lower fuel consumption of new motor vehicles, the emission of very small particulate matter from diesel engines is increasing, because more efficient combustion has reduced the size, but sharply increased the amount, of particulate matter, with the result that it penetrates more deeply into the lungs? |
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1.

Is the Commission aware that, despite the lower fuel consumption of new motor vehicles, the emission of very small particulate matter from diesel engines is increasing, because more efficient combustion has reduced the size, but sharply increased the amount, of particulate matter, with the result that it penetrates more deeply into the lungs?

| 2. | Is the Commission aware that, in the case of petrol engines, too, as a result of new direct injection systems which do not require the fuel to be vaporised, ultrafine particulate matter with a diameter of between 20 and 80 nanometers is emitted? |
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2.

Is the Commission aware that, in the case of petrol engines, too, as a result of new direct injection systems which do not require the fuel to be vaporised, ultrafine particulate matter with a diameter of between 20 and 80 nanometers is emitted?

| 3. | Is the Commission aware that, particularly in and around major conurbations, the concentration of small particulate matter is so great that it can result in cancers, asthma, bronchitis, myocardial and cerebral infarcts and, possibly, even affect genetic material (gene mutation)? |
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3.

Is the Commission aware that, particularly in and around major conurbations, the concentration of small particulate matter is so great that it can result in cancers, asthma, bronchitis, myocardial and cerebral infarcts and, possibly, even affect genetic material (gene mutation)?

| 4. | Is the Commission aware that the Netherlands Junior Minister for the Environment believes that the Euro 4 standard, which will apply in the EU from 2005 onwards, is too lax and has been strongly influenced by motor vehicle manufacturers and oil companies, with the result that, above all, particulate matter emissions will remain excessively high and contribute to global warming and that he therefore feels that European emission standards should be reviewed and made much more stringent? |
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4.

Is the Commission aware that the Netherlands Junior Minister for the Environment believes that the Euro 4 standard, which will apply in the EU from 2005 onwards, is too lax and has been strongly influenced by motor vehicle manufacturers and oil companies, with the result that, above all, particulate matter emissions will remain excessively high and contribute to global warming and that he therefore feels that European emission standards should be reviewed and made much more stringent?

| 5. | By what date may we expect a Commission proposal for a review, as suggested by the Netherlands Junior Minister? Will the disquieting data about the increase in the amount of dangerous particulate matter act as an incentive for it to speed up the review? |
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5.

By what date may we expect a Commission proposal for a review, as suggested by the Netherlands Junior Minister? Will the disquieting data about the increase in the amount of dangerous particulate matter act as an incentive for it to speed up the review?

Source: The 11 March 2004 edition of ‘De Volskrant’, a Dutch newspaper

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