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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(75)681
Vol.1975/0248

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEANCOïM^EmiES
COM(75)661 final .
Brussels ,19December 1975
Proposal for a
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
relating totheuse offuel-oils with theaimofdecreasing sulphurous
emissions
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
Cûr(75 )681final .

-1- ENV/X06/2/75-F
EXPLAN ATORY MEMORANDUM
This Directive Proposal provide ?fortheuseoflow .sulphur -oonteirt £^&ltroile
with theaim ofdecreasing sulphurous emissions ,particularly inregions
where theairpollution bysuch compounds ishigh andlikely toconstitute
adanger topublic health .
1.Légalprovisio ns
ocivie I-iembpr States have already taken orhave proposed legislative
provisions forthetype offuel-oil tobeused incertain regions or
within certain installations ,orfor alimitation ofsulphurcoontexit
ofsuch fuels ,orfor alimitation ofemissions with aview toprotect /
public health against dangerous concentrations ofsulphur dioxide ,sus­
pended particulate matter andother pollutants intheambient air .
On2May ,1973 »theCommission received acommunication from the
Netherlands Government relating toadraft administrative instrument
forageneralized limitation ofsulphur infuels ,notified under the
terms ofagreement oninformation onmatters concerning theenvironement *).
This provision didnpt enter into force atthetime being due tothe
oilsupply crisis ,itwasputinto action finally onNovember 197^-
Under this administrative measure itisforbidden touse for combustion
purposes liquid ,solid orgazeous fuels with asulphur content exceeding
certain levels .Themaximum sulphur content isfixed e.g. at2.9 »%
forallheavy fuel-oil ^,tobedecreased to2.7 by "July 1975 andto2.5%
byJuly 1976 ;forgas-oil thelimit issetat0.7%tobedecreased by
December 1975 at0.'5%*
\
Ï
InFrance zones ofspecial protection against airpollution canbe
created onthebasis ofthelawconcerning thefight against airpollu­
tion andodors ofAugust 2,19^1 ,andoftheregulations of
*)Agreement dated 5March ,1973 ,oftheRepresentatives oftheGovernments !
oftheMember States meeting intheCouncil oninformation for the
Commission and fortheMember States with aview topossible harmoniza­
tion throughout theCommunities ofurgent measures concerning thepro­
tection ofthe environment .

-2- \ ENV/1G£/E/75-E
V • ' >
\
/'
September 17i1963 *Onthis legal b&sis 196k already inParis intra
muros twozones ofspecial protection have been created where theonly
type offuel-oil permitted must be'oflowsulphur quality .Moreover ;
the larger power stations situated around -Paris are required.' toswitch
over tolowsulphur fuel-oil during unfavorable meteorological conditions .
i . .. ,( ■» ' .*:
(
Recently twozones ofspecial protection have been created intheregion
«
ofLille -Roubaix -Tourcoing andintheregion ofLyon-Villeurbanne 'i '
InDenmark alawcame into force beginning of1975 prohibiting theuse
forheating purposes offuel-oilleontaiaing more than 2.5&'of sulphur .
...d
Belgium ,under .theterms oftheregulation ofJuly 26,1971 »hascreated
5zones ofspecial protection forBrussels ,Antwerp ,Charleroi tGent ,
Liege .Inthese zones thesulphur content ofsolid andliquid fuels of
whatsoever quality andtype islimited to1
InGermany theFederal law fortheprotection against immissions ofMarch
19-74 (Bundesrlmmlssionsschutzgesetz )empowers theFederal Government to
regulate thecomposition offuels with respect toairpolluting compounds ,
toregulate thequantity ofemissions admitted forallinstallations
subject tolipensing ;it .requires thegovernments' oftheLander tosetup
control zones where theairpollution istobe .monitored and toestablish
plan© forimprovement ofthesituation . - "■
1„Inpursuance tothi^s lawregulations have been issued ,e.g. therevised
^Technical Instruction Air"(TA-Luft )ofAugust 197^.s.etting ^emission
>' N •• » *''
limitations ,mainly with respect tosulphur dioxide andsuspended parti­
culate matter ,for alarge number ofinstallations subject tolicensing ;
thesame 'regulation limits theshort terin aswell asthelong term con­
';-centra-tion ofsulphur dioxide ,suspended particulate matter and .some
other pollutants intheambient air . /.*
Tworegulations came into force inOctober 197^»onesetting ageneral
limitation tothesulphur content ofgas-oil ,theother limiting the
emission ofparticulate matter ,soot ,oilandother pollutants .from
1}Arrête Royal

-3- ENV/106/2/75-5
domestic furnaces .Another regulation isproposed '~iv'i'r _gthobasis "fcr
establishung anairmonitoring system inparticularly polluted regions .
Under theterms ofthelawno.615ofJuly1966 allindustrial installa­
tions inItaly arerequired totake thenecessary technical measures to
keep aslowastechnically feasible theairpollution .Theterritory
isdivided into twocontrol 2ones AandBcomprising thelarger agglo­
meration andthebig cities ^inwhich limitations toemissions ortothe
■J *
ureofcertain types orqualities offuels areset.Adraft revision of
thislawintroduces athird zone Cforthemost polluted large cities and
restricts .theuseofcertain types andqualities offuels within thothree
soncs .Thesulphur content offuel-oils vtobeburned within thozones
islimited atdifferent levels according tothetype ofinstallation .
IntheUniteelKingdom nogeneral legal limitation exists for thesulphur
content offuels tobeused ,exception given fortheCity ofLondon area
whore only fuels with 1%Smax .areadmitted .TheProtection ofthe
Environment Act197^entitles theSecretary ofState toimpose byregu­
lations limits onthesulphur content ofanyliquid petroleum product
produced inarefinery which isused infurnaces orrailway locomotive
engines .
TheClean AirActs of1956 and.1968 stipulate regulations toprevent the
emissions ofsmoke ,grit ancldust from allindustrial anddomestic chim­
neys andprovide fortheinstauration ofsmoke control areas .The Aliir.li
Act1906 andtheAlkali andWorks Order1966 and1971 require classified
industries tolimit asmuch aspracticable theemission ofgases ,smoke ,
•»
grit and dust .

ENV/lOé/2/75-E
-.it-r -ift -ire
Following thereception oftheabove mentioned communication from the
Netherlands Government theCommission ,on13February l$7k ,addressed
to "theCouncil -under theGeneral Programme of2&May1969 ,aimed atthe
elimination oftechnical Carriers to -trade in'industrial products ,and
also under -theCommunity 'sProgramme ofAction ontheEnvironment of ->
22Novembeiv 1973 aproposal foraDirective which ,while eliminating'
technical barriers tothetrade ingas-oils ,will also lead toaconside­
rable reduction inthesulphur content ofgas-oils and therefore aleo
toanimprovement intheenvironment (Doc.COM(74 )158final *-O.J. No.
C35,28.3fl97 ^»p*75)•TheCouncil atitsmeeting of16October 1975 "
(1)
agreed onthis proposal . . »
Vith regard totheCommunity 'sProgramme ofAction ontheEnvironment
theCouncil ,onMarch 3,1975 "adopted aResolution onEnergy and
Environment .Inthis resolution among other things theimportance of
decreasing sulphur emissions wasstressed ,inviting theCommission to
submit proposals onpolicies tobefallowed .bytheCommunity andMember
States aiming , ,...
-atareduction ofthesulphur content ofgas-oil ,
-atfixing regulations ohthesulphur ccntent andusecfheavy fuel-oils ,
Numerous studies made within the Member States aswell aselsewhere under *-
line thenecessity ofdecreasing sulphuf dioxide emissions atthesource
fartheimprovement oftheairquality .
•.1 : • ' •
There is,.ontheonohand ,theuseofgas-oils ,especially inurban areas
emitting sulphur compounds atlowlevel and ,ontheother hand ,thesmall
impact /ongrounds ofeconomy andenergy ,ofthedesulphurization of
these gas-oils .Forthese reasons itwaspreferred topropose ageneral
limitation ofthesulphur content ofgas-oils .
Onthecontrary ,intheactual andforeseeable situation ofsupply with
crude oiladesulphurization cfallheavy fuel-oils requires considerable
financial efforts .That iswhythepresent Directive Proposal ,established
within theframework oftheCommunity 'senvironmental policy andtaking
(1)O.J. noL307ofNov.27,1975

-5- ENV/106/2/75-E
into consideration therequirements ofhealth and ofthe energy policy ,
contains requirements relating totheuse offuel-oils with lowsulphur
content within theregions which aremost threatened bysulphur pollution .
Thepreceding chapter shows thelarge variety ofapproaches onthenational
levei totheproblems ofsulphur pollution abatement .
Such legal provisions ,iftaken inanuncoordinated way could substantially
influence the competitive situation oftheinstallations concerned and
lead tothe creation ofnew technical barriers totrade .They maymoreover
cause disparities intheminimum protection ofthepopulation against air
pollution from sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter .
*• / ■ „
For these reasons itisnecessary toprovide foraCommunity approach to
theproblem ofdecreasing sulphurous emissions from the combustion of
fuel-oils .
Comme nts onthe Directive Proposal
Article 1gives fhedefinition offuel-oil ,oflowsulphur fuel-oil ,of
equivalent fuel ,ofthe zones ofspecial protection against sulphur dioxide
andsuspended particulate matter andofpollution ,asused intheproposed
directive .
Thesulphur content oflowsulphur fuel-oil put ontotheCommunity market
under this name islimited byArticle 2to2%byweight from 1June 1978 .
Afurther decrease ofthesulphur content to1%byweight isprovided
from 1June 19&3 *
Thepercentages aswell asthedates ofcoming into force proposed take
into consideration thelarge uncertainties prevailing onthe future situation
offuel-oil consumption ,onthe cost level ofcompeting energy resources ,on
thesupply situation and ontheavailability oflow sulphur fuel -roil .
Thepercentage of2%max .sulphur content chosen forthefirst stage should be
sufficiently high toallow for aflexible introduction ofthis directive
atthegiven date without committing industry tolaunch acostly large-scale
desulphurization programme .

-6 - ENV/106/2775-E
Articl eJobliges Member States tocreate zones ofspecial protection if
thelevels ofairpollution bysulphur -dioxide andbysuspended particulate
matter measured during thethree proceeding years inthese regions have
exceeded one ofthevalues specified inparagraphe 2.Thepollutant con­
centrations areinline with theairquality standards' forsulphur dioxide
andsuspended particulate matter intheurban atmosphere laid down inthe
Directive Proposal suhmitted totheCouncil on ,1975 -
Article krequires all combustion installations situated inside thezones
ofspecial protection toburn from 1October 1978 on,only lowsulphur
fuel-oil orequivalent fuel unless they fall under the .exceptions ofArticle 8
Atimelimit of18months isgiven forzones tobespecified after 1January ,
1978 thus allowing forsmooth implementation oftherequirements fixed by
this Article . •.J. = ......
Under certain meteorological conditions combustion installations situated
outside thezones 'ofspecial protection may contribute significantly tothe
ground level pollutant concentration inside thezones .
'î *; •" .\."
Therefore ,Article 5requires that such combustion installations located
outside thezones ofspecial protection butcontributing significantly to
theground level concentration inside thezones switch over temporarily
tolowpolluting fuels . ' '
Thesamo Article defines which contribution istobeconsidered assignificant
leaving toMember States thepossibility tosetmore stringent requirements .
Theprotection ofthepopulation against high concentrations ofsulphur
4ioxide andsuspended particulate matter -isnotonly required inside the
oJE px*o"tection but also outside .

-7- ENV/10672 /75-E
Ageneral obligation isstipulated "byArticle 6foralllarge combustion
installations situated outside thezones ofspecial protection touse
temporarily lowsulphur fuel-oil oronequivalent fuel during episodes ..
ofhigh concentrations ofsulphur dioxide andsuspended particulate
matter occuring xd-thin thearea ofinfluence ofthese installations .The
competent national authorities arerequired todefine theextent ofthe
areas ofinfluence .
Under theterms ofArticle 7Member States mayapply theprovisions ofthis
directive more rapidly than required bythepreceeding Articles .
Forreasons ofuncertainties onthefuture supply situation ,onthe
limited availability oflowsulphur fuel-oil andonthequantities of
such fuels needed inside the zones which have still tobedefined
geographically ,acertain number ofexceptions aregiven from the
obligations ofArticle 4fparagraph 1.
Pirs.tly.it isdesirable ,toencourage thedevelopment andtheintroduction
ofprocesses (e.g. flue gasdesulphurisation ,fluid bedcombustion ,fuel
gasification )allowing foradecrease ofsulphur emissions byeliminating
sulphur attheinstallation itself during orafter combustion *Such
processes could constitute interesting andperhaps less costly
alternatives toadesulphurization programme carried outattherefinery
level.' a .{..• ■... ..
Secondly incertain industrial processes which usefuel-oils forheating
purposes during theproduction rflarge fraction ofthesulphur dioxide
generated atcombustion ofthefuel isnotemitted butretained chemically
intheproducts (e.g. cement fabrication ).
Therefore ,Article 8paragraph laaccepts thetwoabove mentioned •
categories ofinstallations making use ofsuch processes provided the
resulting -level ofsulphur dioxide emissions isnothigher than that
which isreached upon,burning lowsulphur fuel-oil .

ENV/l06/2/75-E
itirdly ,animportant number oflarge combustion installations ,e.g. power ,
plants ,areactually equipped with high stacks which ,although netelimina­
ting thesulphur dioxide emitted ,assure a.dispersion oftheemissions at »
greater altitude andover alarge area mainly indown wind direction .The
ground level concentrations ofsulphur dioxide andother emitted pollutants
areconsiderably decreased inthevicinity efsuch plants .Nevertheless ,
under abnormal meteorological andparticular topographical conditions the
emitted pollutants may fall back totheground atshert distance from the
installation andmay then constitute athreat topublic health and totho
environment .
Thelarge combustion installations andabove all thepower plants are the
main consumers offuel oil6 .The cost ofelectricity produced bythem is-
under theactual economic circumstances -very sensitive tovariations in
fuel costs .
Forreasons ofsupply difficulties with resulting extra costs forlow
sulphur fuel-oils itisnotappropriate torequire these installtions to
useonly such fuel-oils ,aslong astheir contribution totheground level
concentration ofsulphur dioxide isnotsignificant .Therefore paragraph 1t
ofArticle 8exempts these installations from theobligation ofArticle k
first paragraph ,provided that they arecontrolled byamonitoring net­
work andthat they .areals»equipped with anadequate reserve oflow
sulphur fuel-oil oranequivalent fuel .
Paragraph 2ofArticle 8specifies which contribution »fthese installations
tothetotal ground level concentrations inside thezones ofspecial pro­
tection hastoberegarded assignificant giving thepossibility toMember
States tosetmore stringent requirements . u
Paragraph 3ofArticle .8requires theinstallations exempted under para­
graph 1bofthis Article t*usetemporarily only low-sulphur fuel-oil
oranequivalent fuel ineaaS ofepisodes ofhigh concentration ofsulphur
dioxide endsuspended particulate matter occuring within thezones ofspecial
protection .- '
Paragraph bofArticle 8finally obliges Member States totake allnecessary
measures assuring that theoperation of "theinstallations referred tounder

-9- ENV/106/2/75-E
paragraph 1bdoes notgive rise topollution outside thezsnes orto
transfrontier pollution .Thedefinition ofpollution asindi -: -
cated inArticle 1isidentical tothat given intheOECD recommenda­
tion no.0(7^)224 of21November 197^.
Article 9requires fcrinformation oftheCommission ofdecisions taken
byMember States tocreate zones ofspecial protection and cfanyother
parameters taken into consideration intheir decisions .
Article 10obliges Member States tocheck bysampling that thesulphur
content oflowsulphur fuel-oil burnt bytheinstallations being subject
tothis directive complies with thelimits setherein .
Article 11indicates thereference methods asgiven inannex IIt«be "
used for .the determination ofsulphur content offuel-oils and for the
measurement ofground level concentrations ofsulphur dioxide and sus­
pended particulate matter .
Taking into consideration theuncertainties mentioned above inrelation
tothe future supply situation and economic data ,Article22underlines the
Commission 'sobligation tokeep theoperation ofthedirective under
review andsubmit appropriate proposals when necessary totheCouncil .
This provision isintended tofacilitate asmooth introduction ofthe
directive ,soast©take decisions nowwhich will putobligations upon
theMember States insome years time ,and toadapt thedirective later ,
should thesituation substantially change .
Article 13set thetimelimit forputting into force thedirective 'spro­
■>> ·.' ... · *
vision atthe national level at6months after its notification .This
» ' .
short timelimit isrequired inorder togive theindustry sufficient time
toprepare itself .TheCommission must beinformed oftheprovisiens of
national lawadopted bytheMember States 4npursuance ofthis directive .
Consultation ofthe European Parliament and the -Economic and Social .
Committee
The©pinisns ©ftheEuropean Parliament and theEconomic andSocial Com­
mittee arerequired under theprovisions ofArticle 100«ftheEEC-Treaty .

-10- ENV/106/2/75-r >
PROPOSAL FORACOUNCIL DIRECTIVE |
relating t6theuse offuel-oils with the • ■4
aim ofdecreasing sulphurous emissions
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
-Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
andinparticular Article 100thereof ,
-Having regard totheProposal from theCommission ,.
-Having regard totheOpinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,
-Having regard totheOpinion ofthe ,Economic andSocial Committee , j
-Whereas anydisparty between theprovisions onthesulphur content anduse ;
ofcertain fuel-oils already applicable orinpreparation inthevarious j
Member States maycreate unequal conditions ofcompetition andthus direct !)
affect thefunctioning oftheCommon Market ;whereas itistherefore necee-'
1
sary toapproximate laws inthis field asprovided forinArticle -100 ofths
Treaty ; '?'■' ■ :-■\ !
- ■ ' !
-Whereas theResolution onEnergy andEnvironment adopted bytheCouncil on
(1)March 3i1975 taking into consideration the'Commission 's-preliminary re­
port ontheproblems ofpollution andnuisances originating from energy pro
(2)duction andtheProgramme ofAction' ofthe'European Communities ^onthe
Environment ,'invites theCommission tosubmit proposals onpolicies tobe j
followed bytheCommunity andMember States among which are ;regulations on j
thesulphur content anduseofheavy fuel-oil ; i
•' ..... '
vWhereas inaccordance with the Declaration ofthe United Nations conference
onthehuman environment adopted iiiStockholm ,carsshould betaken to j
ensure that activities carried outinonestate donotcause any degradation
oiftheenvironment inanother state ,e.g.bytransfrontier 'pollution ; J
(1)t.:j.'No.C168ofJuly 25,1975
(2)Doc .SECC7 2*)1150 final .

-11- ENV/106/2775-E
Whereas theprotection ofthe environment and ofpublic health requires
surveillance and adecrease inairpollution from sulphur dioxide and
suspended particulate matter ,inorder tosafeguard against subsequent
deterioration oftheatmosphere especially indensely populated areas ;
Whereas certain Member States have notified the Commission ofprojects
andlaws relating ,inter alia ,totheuse ofcertain grades offuel-oil
incombustion installations forthepurpose ofbringing about areduction
insulphur emissions ; V
Whereas inview ofthehigh levels ofsulphur dioxide together 'with
suspended particulate matter measured inthe air inmany regions ofthe
s
Member States ,ofthedetrimental influence ofthese compounds onpublic
health and onthequality oftheenvironment ,and oftheimportant contri­
bution offuel-oils tosulphur pollution ,itisnecessary ,ataCommunity
level ,to -reduce progressively andperceptibly the emissions ofsulphur
arising from thecombustion offuel-oils inregions which areparticularly
threatened byairpollution from sulphur dioxide (henceforth referred
toas"zones ofspecial protection*' };
Whereas ,under theactual and foreseeable conditions ofsupply ofcrude
oil ,a.general limitation ofthesulphur content afallfuel-oils will
require considerable financial efforts ;
Whereas theuse *oflowsulphur fuel-oil orofequivalent fuels constitutes
anefficient andeconomically defensible means fortheabatement ofsulphur
pollution within themost affected regions ,andwhereas itisnecessary
tomake thebest use ofsuch low-polluting fuel-oils ,considering their
cost andlimited availability ;
Whereas itisdesirable atthepresent time todefine themaximum sulphur
content offuel-oils whose usewill berequired ,from 1October "19?S (first
stage )andfrom 1June 1983 (second stage )inthezones ofspecial pro­
tection specified bytheMember States ;

-12- ENV/106/2/75-E
-Wheras thepopulation must "beprotected ,during special meteorological
conditions xfhich favour thepersistency ofhigh levels ofsulphur dioxide
andofsuspended particulate matter intheatmosphere ,"both inside and
outside thezones ofspecial protection ,against thedetrimental effects
ofthese pollutants byrequiring that :
-installations situated outside the zones "butcontributing significantly
totheground level concentration ofsulphur dioxide inside thezones ,
-andinstallations situated outside thezones ,with athermal power
rating of100MWormore ,whenever intheareas affected "bythem theaverage
level forboth pollutants during a24hour period hasexceeded thevalues
laid down intable 2ofAnnex Itothis Directive ,
should befueled temporarily with lowsulphur fuel-oil orequivalent
fuels aslong asthehigh airpollution level persists ;
-Whereas itisalso desirable toencourage thedevelopment andtheintro­
duction ofother processes resulting inanequivalent decrease of
emissions ofsulphur dioxide andtomake certain exemptions including
installations making use ofsuch processes ;
-Whereas itisnecessary toprovide measures ofcontrol ,andinparticular
bymeans ofrandom sampling ,tocheck thesulphur content offuel-oils
ofthelowsulphur category placed onthemarket andwhereas this
content must "bedetermined bymeans ofauniform method ;
-Whereas itisdesirable that concentrations ofsulphur dioxide and
suspended particulate matter ,which arethebasis forthecreation of
zones ofspecial protection ,should bedetermined bythesame
harmonized measurement methods ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :

-13- ENV/lOé/2/75-E
Article 1
For thepurpose ofthis Directive - •■'
a)fuel-oil means anyoilproduct falling within sub-heading 27-10 CII
oftheCemmon Customs Tariff annexed toRegulation (EEC )no2658/7^
oftheCouncil of15October 197^(l)»intended foruseincombustion
installations ;
;b)lowsulphur fuel-oil means anyfuel-oil thesulphur content ofwhich
does not exceed the limits laid down inarticle 2;
c)equivalent fuej means anyfuel with amaximum sulphur content notin
excess ofthat oflow sulphur fuel-oil ;
d)zones ofspecial protection mean allregions specified byMember States
aszones cfspecial protection against sulphur dioxide andsuspended
particulate matter inaccordance with article 3»
e)pollution means theintroduction byman ,directly orindirectly ,of
substances erenergy into theenvironment ,resulting indeleterious
effects ofsuch anature astoendanger human health *har® living resour­
cesand ecosystems ,and impair orinterfere with ameniiii'es' and other
legitimate uses ofthe environment . • -
? * - : .
'Article 2 ■' Q
1.Member States shall take allnecessary measures toensure that fuel-oil
intended for use asfuel inthe combustion installations referred toin
articles 4,5and 6are hot'putonthemarket within theCommunity under
thedescription oflow sulphur fuel-oil iftheir c'ontent insulphur
compounds ,calculated in -terms ofsulphur exceeds :
-2,0%byweight from 1June 1978 and
.-1,0%byweight from 1June 1983 *
2.Should environmental requirements orthestate ofdesulphurizing techno­
logy change appreciably orshould theeconomic situation intheCommunity
asregards thesupply ofcrude oilchange substantially ,theCommission
may ,onitsowninitiative orattherequest ofaMember State ,propose
(1)O.J. No.L295 ,1.11.197 **,p.l

*•-1*- ENV/106/2/75-E
amendments tothelevels indicated inparagraph 1above fortheperiod *;
beginning 1June19$3«TheCouncil maydecide onsuchamendments ,bya J
qualified majority ,notlater than 1June 1980 . !
If,because ofasudden change incrude oildeliveries ,change 'sshould
occur inthesulphur content *ftheoilsuch astojeopardize supplies
"toconsumers inview oftheshortage ofavailable desulphurization capa-
1- ». .•..
city ,aMember State mayallow initsterritory lowsulphur fuel-oil
notmeeting thelimits laid down inparagraph 1above ..It ;shall forth - 1
with notify theCommission ,which shall ,after consulting theother
Member States ,decide within -3months ontheduration anddetails of
* t* , • « . t .
M ■ -
thederogation .
Article 3 ■ '' \-•
Member States mayspecify zones ofspecial protection ,based above all
upon theactual levels ofsulphur dioxide andsuspended particulate
matter . >■ '•<" •• ■ - • • .../•'
Regions inwhich alevel ofairpollution represented Ityanyoneof
pairs ®fvalue ranges fortheconcentration' ofsulphur dioxide and
theassociated concentration ofsuspended particulate matter laid down
intable 1ofAnnex 1tothis Directive hasbeen exceeded'in'each of
thethree preceding years shall bespecified aszones ofspecial protects
•'l: •' : Article b ■■ ■ ^
1 y. • . .1 .From 1October 1978 ,combustion installations situated within zones of ,
, *■■– , i, i
special protection ,using fuel-oils must ,except asprovided forin
Article 8ofthis directive ,burn only low-sulphur fuel-oils' orequi- !
valent fuels . % j
Inthecase ofzones ofspecial protection which arespecified subse­
quently to1January 1978 ,paragraph 1shall enter into force 18months j
after thedesignation ofsuch zones . A -'V-■ *

-15- ENV/106/2/75-E
Article 5
1.Ifunder adverse meteorological conditions combustion installations burning
fuel-oil situated outside ofthezones ofspecial protection contribute
significantly totheground level concentration ofsulphur dioxide in­
side thezones then Member States shall require them toburn temporarily
low sulphur fuel-oil oranequivalent fuel . *
i■
2*Anaggregate contribution ofinstallations situated outside the zones of
special protection ofmore than 20percent ofthetotal ground level con­
centration ofsulphur dioxide inside thezones isregarded assignificant
unless the competent authorities intheMember States require lower per­
centages .
This aggregate contribution maybadetermined orbyanappropriate moni­
toring network orbymodels taking into account above all climatic
(repartition ofdominant winds ,temperatures )andtopographic features
oftheregion within which the somas are eituated .
Article
1.From .October 1:,■197.8 combustion installations situated outside ofthe
zones ofspecial protection ,having &thermal power rating of -100MW
ormore andburning fuel-oils must use low sulphur fuel-oil ,oran
equivalent fuel ,assoon asfora2bhour period theaverage concentra­
tion ofsulphur dioxide andofsuspended ,particulate matter at .ground level
within thearea ;ofinfluence ofthese installations hasexceeded anyOf'"the
ipairs ofthevalue ranges laid down intable 2-ofAnnex Itothis Direc­
tive ,andcontinue that useuntil these concentrations foraZbhour
.period have fallen back below thevalue ranges intable 2ofAnnex I.
2.'."The cocipetent -authorities intheMember States shall define theareas
*ofinfluence of .these installations taking into cpnsideration "thecharac -
...j
teristic&i oftheemission sources aswell asmeteorological ,topographical
*and other pertinent conditions . •-
Article 7
Member States mayimplement theprovisions ofthearticles 2,4and6at
1 -- X »S.»afaster rate than aslaid down inthesa articles .

>x • ■»'-16- ENV/106/2/75-E
Artiel'e -o ;
1.Paragraph 1ofarticle kshAl-l hotapply tot* -•;. .
*(a)Combustion installations andplants employing processes where the
*" level ofsulphur dioxide emissions does notexceed that 'which is
reached when theinstallation isburning lowsulphur fuel-oil under
such conditions that'allsulphur isemitted ; ' !
(b)Combustion installations controlled byamonitoring network and
equipped with anadequate reserve oflowsulphur fuel-oil 6ran
equivalent fuel ,provided that theemissions from these installations ,
during normal meteorological conditions ,,donotcontribute signifi­
cantly totheconcentration ofsulphur dioxide measured at:ground |
level within thezonesof special protection ; ' |
;,• » v ■i' < .t" ■„. .
(c)Seagoing ships sailing ataport located within azone ofspecial
protection .
• '\
2.Anaggregate contribution ofinstallations exempted under paragraph lb)
ofmore than 20percent ofthetotal ground level concentration ofsulphur
, .dioxide .inside the -zones isregarded a.ssignificant ;unless thecompetent j
authorities intheMember Sta.tes require lower percentages .^
,.Ihis aggregate contribution maybedetermined orbyanappropriate moni-
-toring network orbymodels taking into account above allclimatic
,(repartition ofdominant winds ,temperatures )andtopographic features
rvoftheregion within which thesones aresituated ., ,
'5-Where ,however ,fora2^hour period theaverage concentration ofsulphur
dioxide andsuspended particulate' matter ,measured atground level inthe j
zone ofspecial protection inwhich aninstallation ,exempted *under para - !
graph lb)issituated ,hasexceeded anyofthepairs ofvalue ranges laid j
down in <table 2.ofAnnex Itothis Directive ,the .useoflow ,sulphur '
*' i
-fuel-oil oranequivalent fuel bysuch aninstallation shall :bemandatory j
until these concentrations have fallen -back below thevalue ,ranges in j
table 2ofAnnex Ifora2khour period . J
4.Member States shall take theappropriate measures toassure that theope­
ration oftheinstallations referred tounder paragiraphe lbofthis article
does notgive rise to*pollution outside thezones ortotransfrontier poll"'
tion . '
i
?
\
, *
1 ■ i
J

-17- ENV/l06/2/75-E
Article 9
Member States shall notify fcheCommission ofthezones ofspecial protection
specified pursuant toarticle 3»notlater than sixmonths after the deci­
sion inquestion .They shall also notify anyother criteria taken into
consideration intheir decision (forexample population density ,industrial
activities giving rise topollution andspecial topographical andmeteoro­
logical conditions ).
Article 10
Member States shall take ihenecessary measures toinspect andcheck by
sampling that the sulphur content offuel-oils burnt bythecombustion
installations £a£6r£kd toinArticles b,5»6and 8complies with the
provisions ofthis Directive .
Article 11
Themeasurement methods used todetermine theconcentrations ofsulphur
dioxide and ofsuspended particulate natter intheatmosphere and the
sulphur content offuel-oils shall bethose specified inAnnex IItothis
Directive . '
Article 12
TheCommission shall keep theOperation ofthis Directive under review ,
inparticular inthelight of: <
-data available onchanges inthelevels ofairpollution bysulphur
compounds and suspended particulate matter measured ;
-changes inthesupply situation foroil }
-technical and economic progress inthedevelopment ofmethods for
reducing sulphur emissions ;
-data collected from theMember States ,particularly under Article 9
ofthis Directive ,
and shall submit appropriate proposals ,when necessary ,totheCouncil .

-18- . ETTV/106/2/75-E s
Article 13
1.Member States shall introduce provisions laid down bylaw ,regulation
oradministrative action needed inorder tocomply with this Directive
within six months ofits notification and shall forthwith inform the
Commission thereof .
2.Member States shall ensure that thetexts oftheprovisions of •national
lawwhich they adopt inthefield covered bythis Directive are communi­
cated tothe Commission . *
Article 1H
This Directive isaddressed tothe Member States .
Done at

EN7/106/2/?>-E
Annex I
Ambiant airconcentrations ofsulphur dixo'ide
andofsuspended particulate matter tobeconsidered
fortheapplication ofthis Directive *
Table 1:Anbiant air concentrations ofsulphur dioxide and ofsuspended
particulate matter to "beconsidered fo?the specification of
zones ofspecial protection
Period considered
I
j
r j
■---- - --- --•- -'Max .Concentration of
sulphur dioxide
(median ofdaily ,
averages ,injagfm)Associated
concentration of
suspended particulate
matter (median of
dailv averages ,in
Aig/m3)
Year80 >40
120 C/0
•Winter 3eason
(October toMarch )130 >60
180 <' <60
Table 2:Anbiant airconcentrations ofsulphur dioxide andofsuspended
particulate matter tobeconsidered forthepollution episodes
Feriod considered Max .Concentration of
sulphur dioxide
(arithmetic mean ,"
liyug/mr)Associated
concentration of
suspended particulate
matter (arithmetic
mean ,innxg/m)
24hours250
- -------- J>100
350
... .. j<;100

-20 ENV/106/2/75-E
ANNEX II
1
Analytical and measurement methods tobeused
Analysis ofsulphur content •T
Theanalytical reference method isthat defined bythe Eurcrjs»an -StsmdeOfld
EN'*fl ,first ,edition ,November 1975 » '
Forroutine analyses Member States mayallow forother methods provided
that theresults canbeclearly correlated with those o>tained bythe
referencë method .
... • * >.
Measurement ofsulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter concen­
tration inthe ambient air
The reference measurement methods are those indicated inthe Directif 3
Proposal onairquality standards forsulphur dioxide andsuspended
particulate matter intheurban -atmosphere ,submitted bytheCommission
tothe Council on
i.e. *'fo*'the determination ofsulphur dioxide -the -method proposed
inthedraft standard proposal ISODP4219 based onthe "
principle ofthecolorimetric reaction toparaBosaniline >
All othei *methods demonstrated asbeing equivalent bythis
Member States maybeused } '
-forthemeasurement ofsuspended particulate matter inthe
.atmosphere thedetermination ofblack smoke ,asstandardised
bythe "Working group onairpollution measurement methods
andinvestigation technies "of-OECD -(1964 ).All -other "methods
demonstrated asbeing equivalent bytheMember States m^y
beused .