WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2273/96 by Ursula SCHLEICHER to the Commission. Petrol station equipment/Catch on petrol nozzles
Date: 1996-08-27
Institutions: European Parliament, SCHLEICHER
Subjects: European standard, air quality, committee (EU), motor fuel, motor vehicle, oil pollution, pump, technical regulations













EUR-Lex - 91996E2273 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E2273

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2273/96 by Ursula SCHLEICHER to the Commission. Petrol station equipment/Catch on petrol nozzles  


Official Journal C 072 , 07/03/1997 P. 0023 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2273/96 by Ursula Schleicher (PPE) to the Commission (27 August 1996)Subject: Petrol station equipment/Catch on petrol nozzlesIt has been known for some time that toxic vapours (eg benzene) given off when filling vehicles are a hazard to human health. Attempts are being made to reduce such hazards by various technical measures and a reduction in limit values. The proposal to do away with the catch on petrol nozzles, as adopted by the international association of manufacturers of petrol station equipment, evidently at the instigation of one Member State, and to be put into effect by way of a European standard, would run counter to these efforts.1. Can the Commission confirm this proposal?2. Who would bring about a change to the European standards in this case?3. Can the Commission influence the procedure?4. What will the Commission do to prevent such a measure, which would impair the user-friendliness of self-service petrol stations and the health of car drivers?Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (7 November 1996)The initiative of proposing a European safety standard for petrol nozzles, but which did not automatically imply that the catches on petrol nozzles in petrol stations would be eliminated, was made at the end of 1994 by the German Standardization Institute (DIN).This standardization proposal was forwarded to the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), which is made up of national delegations from the Community Member States and the European Free Trade Area, and 280 professional associations with the rank of observers. The proposal is currently being treated by Technical Committee 221, subgroup 6. The Commission is not directly involved, therefore, in the CEN's work.It has not been possible to verify the existence of an "international association of manufacturers of petrol station equipment¨, from enquiries to the CEN and to the European oil industry association. A committee of European manufacturers concerned with oil-related installations and distribution does, however, participate in the work of the CEN.The standardization proposal has followed the usual work procedures at the CEN and should be the subject in the first half of 1997 of a survey, in and outside Europe, which will of course include environmental aspects.The Commission has asked the CEN to forward the draft standard to it.With regard to draft legislation in progress, the purpose of which is to reduce toxic emissions in the exhaust gases of vehicles, the Commission has just forwarded to the Council and Parliament proposals for a directive ((COM(96) 248. )) based in particular on the reduction of the benzene content of petrol from 5 to 2% and the vapour pressure measuring volatility from 60 to 50 kPa.What is more, with a view to reducing toxic vapours as cars fill up in petrol stations, the Commission has prepared a draft directive (volatile organic compounds - Stage 2), the value added of which it is reexamining in the light of efficient initiatives being deployed in a number of Member States.