WRITTEN QUESTION E-2887/02

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(14 October 2002)

Subject: Fuel and pollution

Atmospheric pollution is causing increasing damage to major cities and putting the health of the public at serious risk. The problem is caused to large extent by toxic emissions from motor vehicles which, in the vast majority of cases, run on petrol; and yet there are fuels on the market such as methane, which causes no pollution whatsoever, or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) which pollutes very little and the use of which would reduce the risks of atmospheric pollution.

In 26 European countries there are 7 154 LPG filling stations, with 1 813 Italy, 1 699 in the Netherlands, 1033 in France, 634 in Belgium, 465 in Denmark and 260 in Ireland.

I do not have corresponding figures for methane but I believe that at the moment its distribution is significantly less.

The Commission:

1. Does it not consider that greater use of these fuels would halt the environmental degradation in large cities caused by constantly increasing traffic?

2. Can it explain the low use of these products when they have the advantage of costing much less than petrol?

2. Will it bring forward measures to encourage car manufacturers and consumers to use alternative fuels?

4. Does it believe that every effort must be made to achieve environmental standards that are compatible with sustainable development?

5. Would an increase in the use of these fuels reduce the vast spending on oil imports, thereby boosting our energy independence?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(10 December 2002)

As the Honourable Member has pointed out there are two main issues linked to the use of alternative fuels environmental concerns and security of energy supply.

Emissions of noxious air pollutants are regulated in the Community by legislation that in principle is technical neutral and performance based. The so called Euro III limits came into force in the year 2000 and a further tightening will take place in the year 2005 (Euro IV). In addition, for heavy duty vehicles, a further tightening of the limit values for nitrogen oxides (Euro V) will enter into force in 2008. Those limit values are so stringent that also vehicles using alternative fuels will have to take specific measures to meet them. It is therefore doubtful if vehicles using liquid petrol gas or natural gas offer any advantages from an air pollution point of view compared with vehicles using conventional fuels. A slight advantage can be seen on emissions of particulates if compared with diesel vehicles but on a very low level of emissions.

In the long term an increased share of fuels based on renewable energy also in the transport sector will be necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this respect neither natural gas (NG) nor liquid petroleum gas (LPG) represent a solution. In the intermediate term, the use of NG and LPG might offer some advantages with respect to greenhouse gases compared with petrol fuelled vehicles but not compared with diesel fuelled vehicles and only providing that there is no significant emission of methane in the distribution chain of natural gas.

From the energy supply point of view, one of the main lessons of the debate on the Commission's Green Paper on the security of energy supply is the need to increase the diversity in energy sources and sources of supply(1). Currently, the transport sector is almost 100 % dependent on oil. Increasing fuel diversity in the transport sector is essential in the interests of enhancing security of energy supply.

The Commission therefore shares the opinion that the use of alternative fuels should increase in the transport sector. Consequently, it presented a year ago

a Communication on this issue together with two proposals for Directives on the introduction of bio-fuels and on tax reduction to support the introduction of such fuels. Furthermore, it is working with the stakeholders concerned to find appropriate implementation strategies, long term as well as intermediate term, to increase the use of alternative fuels with the aim to reach a share of 20 % by the year 2020.

(1) Final report on the Green Paper Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply COM(2002) 321 final.