WRITTEN QUESTION No. 472/96 by Leen van der WAAL to the Commission. Reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide from trucks
Date: 1996-03-01
Institutions: European Parliament, VAN DER WAAL
Subjects: carriage of goods, combustion gases, commercial vehicle, proposal (EU), quality of the environment, road transport, weight and size













EUR-Lex - 91996E0472 - EN






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91996E0472

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 472/96 by Leen van der WAAL to the Commission. Reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide from trucks  


Official Journal C 217 , 26/07/1996 P. 0051 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0472/96 by Leen van der Waal (EDN) to the Commission (1 March 1996)Subject: Reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide from trucksTowards the end of January 1996 the Centre for Energy Conservation and Environmental Technology, the Royal Netherlands Transport Association and Netherlands Transport and Logistics published a report entitled 'Towards cleaner transport'.The report states that, in the Netherlands, it would be possible to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide from trucks by 75% and 10% respectively by the year 2010, despite the fact that the Dutch vehicle park is already one of the cleanest in Europe.1. Does the Commission subscribe to the report's conclusions as to the feasibility of these percentage reductions?2. If so, will the Commission incorporate in its transport policy the measures which, according to the report, require European action, such as:- introducing more stringent standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide from trucks,- the permissibility of heavier and longer trucks,- standardization of swap bodies and a system for transporting semitrailers on railway bogies to promote intermodal transport?Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (22 April 1996)The Commission is not in a position to judge the conclusions of the study cited by the Honourable Member. The package of measures outlined in the study for the achievement of certain emission reductions for NOx and CO2 includes less polluting and larger vehicles, logistical improvements, traffic management and other measures. Their effectiveness depends to a certain extent on local or national circumstances and the assumptions made. The Commission would underline, however, that it welcomes the approach of the study to devise a comprehensive strategy for meeting environmental objectives in the transport sector.The Commission intends to make a legislative proposal in the coming months on a further lowering of the NOx emissions limit values, including those for heavy-duty vehicles. The cost-effectiveness of applying limit values in the range envisaged in the study with a view to meeting air quality targets is currently considered by the Commission in the framework of the European auto-oil programme.As regards the dimensions of freight vehicles, road safety considerations are important in deciding the limits set by the Community in this area. Except for the proposal to increase the maximum weight of vehicles to 44 tonnes for 6-axle vehicles and combinations, the Commission does not have proposals for further increases.As far as the dimensions and standards of swap bodies and containers are concerned, the Commission considers that these have been fixed and will not be changed in the foreseeable future. Consideration could, however, be given to systems in which these containers and swap bodies could be transported in the most efficient way.