26.7.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC201/9
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiverelatingtomeasurestobetakenagainstair
pollutionbyemissionsfrommotorvehiclesandamendingDirective70/220/EEC(*)■
(93/C201/05
On5February1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100AoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforIndustry,Commerce,CraftsandServices,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon5May1993.TheRapporteur
wasMrPearson.
Atits306thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1993)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
tiatebetweenthetwofuels:twoemissionlevelsalso
arerequiredcateringfordieselenginedcarswhich
havedirectinjectionandthosewithindirectinjection
systems.1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommitteerecognizesandwelcomesthe
termsofthisamendingDirectiveasafurthereasingof
theenvironmentalpollutioncausedbymotorvehicle
emissions.2.2.Conformityofproduction :thenewproposals,
intheinterestofmoreefficientenforcementofemission
limitsatproductionlevelhaveintroducedastatistical
samplingprocedure.PreviousDirectivesdealingwith
motoremissionlevelshadprovidedforatolerance
betweentypeapprovedmodelsandsubsequentseries
producedvehicles:thatpermittedvariancehaddeclined
from25%to16%,andisnowdispensedwith.The
Committeebelievesthatthisnewsystemcanbeeffective
butstressesthattheremustbeclosemonitoringofthe
operationtoensurethatitisbetterthanthecurrent
method.1.2.ThebasicDirectiveconcerningthelevelsoffuel
emissionsofmotorvehiclesofnotmorethansixseating
positionsandnotexceeding2500kgmassis70/220/
EECdated20March1970(2).Sincethentherehave
beenanumberofamendingDirectivesprogressively
reducingthepermittedlimitvaluesofemissionsofCO,
HC,NOxandofparticulates,thelatestbeing91/441/
EEC(26June1991)(3).
1.3.InthatDirective91/441/EECtherewasa
requirementfortheCommissiontopropose,priorto
31December1992,afurtherreductioninpermitted
emissionlimitsbasedonthebesttechnologywhichwill
beavailableafter1996.Thecurrentproposalisin
responsetothisobligationcontainingaframeworkfor
thefurtherreductionofemissionstobeinforcebythe
year2000.2.3.Asayearistheleastpossibletimeforlegal
enforcementfornewtypeapprovalsandthenewlimit
valuesforalltypesofvehicleitisagreedthat1January
1996and1January1997areacceptedasreasonable
operationaldatesfortheimplementation ofthe
amendingDirective.
2.Generalcomments
2.1.Theimplementation ofthevaluelimitsin91/
441/EEChasrequiredchangeinenginetechnologyand
theuseofthree-wayconvertercatalysers.Further
sophistication ofthesenewtechnologies isforeseen
withanticipatedreductionof20%limitvalueofCO
and50%forHCandNOxby1996.Untilnow,for
passengervehicles,thelimitvaluesofemissionshave
beensetatthesamelevelforpetrolenginedanddiesel
enginedcars.Thenewproposalsrecognizethatthisis
nownotpossibleandithasbeennecessarytodifferen­2.4.The'MediumTermTarget':aimingatfurther
reductionsagainfortheyear2000isatpresentthecase
ofurgentinvestigation .Greaterenvironmental benefit
canonlybeachievedbyamultifacetedapproachcom­
biningactionsintheareasofengine/vehicletechnol­
ogies,fuelquality,in-usevehicleinspectionandmain­
tenanceandvehicleevaporativeemissions.
2.4.1.Petrolanddieselfuelsofthecorrectgrade
mustbeavailableforallvehiclesthroughouttheMem­
berStatesandcoordinationwiththepetroleumindustry
isvitalifthedeadlinesforimplementation aretobe
kept.Promotionoftheuseofenvironmentally friendly
fuelsshouldbeencouraged .
HOJNoC56,26.2.1993,p.34.
(2)OJNoC112,20.12.1973,p.1.
(3)OJNoL242,30.8.1991,p.1.2.4.2.TheCommitteerecommends thataCom­
munityresearchanddevelopmentprogrammebeunder­

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities26.7.93 NoC201/10
takenintothequalityandefficacyofalternativefuels
formotorvehicles.
2.4.3.MemberStatesshouldgivegreaterpriorityto
themanagementoftransportandtrafficregulation,
particularlyincityareas,inordertoreducepollution
causedbyexhaustgasesofvehicles.
3.TheCommissionnotesthatthecostofcompliance
withthenewproposedstandards'....willnotbeinsub­
stantial',thisistruebutitisdoubtfulwhetherthe
Commissioniscorrectinstatingthatthecostswillbe
reducedasaresultofthegrowthoftheinternalmarket.
NeverthelesstheCommittee,intheinterestoffurther
improvementoftheenvironment,believesthisisa
legitimatecosttobear.thatDirectivebeimplementedwithoutanyfurther
delayinalltheMemberStates.
5.2.Itbelievesthatitisurgenttodevelopnewlower
emittingpowersources:thepresentrelianceonthe
three-wayconvertercatalyserisacceptableonlyasan
intermediatesolution,becausethecurrentlimited
workinglifeandhighreplacementcostmeansthat
muchtightercontrolisnecessary.Thesophistication
ofthemostmoderninjectionsystemsalsorequiresuper­
visiontoretainthenecessarydegreeoftuningthrough
onboarddiagnosticsystems.
5.3.TheCommitteebelievesthatitisnecessaryfor
manufacturers tomakeavailableasnormalcourse,
detailsofthevehicleemissionperformanceforeach
newvehicle.Thepurchaserthuscanformanoverall
judgementastowhichvehicleisconsideredthemost
environmentally friendly.
6.Conclusions
6.1.TheCommittee,ontheunderstandingthatthe
proposedDirectiveisadoptedwithoutanydelayinthe
datessetoutintheArticles,canagreetothelevels
proposed:
—petrolengines:CO2,2g/km,HCandNOx0,5g/
km,
—dieselenginesindirectinjection:CO1,0g/km,HC
andNOx0,70g/km,particulates0,08g/km,
—dieselenginesdirectinjection:CO1,0g/km,HC
andNOx0,90g/km,particulates0,10g/km.
Itishoped,however,thatongoingresearchanddevel­
opmentwillallowfurtherimprovementinparticulate
values.4.TheMemberStatesareencouragedtoviewthe
Commissionparametersfortaxincentivesformotor
vehicleswhichmeetthefutureemissionstandardsas
laiddowninArticle3oftheDirective.MemberStates
shouldalsoconsiderincentivestomodernizethevehicle
park.
5.Specificcomments
5.1.TheCommitteeyetagainpointstothelaxityof
manyMemberStatesinthesurveillanceoftherequired
minimumstandardsofmaintenanceofmotorvehicles,
particularlyinrelationtoemissionlevels.TheCom­
mitteehasalreadywelcomedDirective92/55/EECon
roadworthinesstestingandinsiststhatthetermsof
DoneatBrussels,26May1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN