Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 70/220/EEC concerning measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles'
Date: 2000-05-24
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: air quality, motor vehicle, substitute fuel, technological change, vehicle parts

18.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 204/1

II

(Preparatory Acts)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 70/220/EEC concerning measures to
be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles’

(2000/C 204/01)

On 13 March 2000 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article
95 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, which was responsible for preparing
the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 3 May 2000. The rapporteur was Mr Gafo
Ferna´ndez.

At its 373rd plenary session of 24 and 25 May 2000 (meeting of 24 May), the Economic and Social
Committee adopted the following opinion unanimously.

1.

Introduction

1.1.
One of the requirements introduced over recent years
to reduce and control vehicle emissions has been on-board
diagnostic (OBD) systems, which check on a non-stop basis
that emissions from vehicles in operation comply with the
standards established at the time of manufacture.

1.2.
OBD becomes compulsory from 2000 (or 2001,
depending on type) for passenger cars and light commercial
vehicles equipped with positive-ignition engines.

1.4.
At its present stage of development, the use of OBD in
LPG or NG vehicles presents practical problems. Although
some OBD systems have been approved in the United States,
they have not received approval in Europe. Moreover, OBD
cannot currently adjust properly to switching from conven-
tional fuel such as petrol to alternatives such as LPG or NG.

Community harmonisation directives usually set differ-
1.5.
ent application deadlines for vehicle types of totally new design
(legally defined as ‘new types’) and existing models (legally
defined as ‘all types’). A shorter deadline is generally set for the
former (‘new types’).

1.3.
The ‘positive-ignition’ category also includes vehicles,
frequently for public service purposes, which use alternative
fuels such as Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) or natural gas (NG),
either exclusively or in part. Emissions from these fuels
generally have less impact on the environment, and may be
considered more ‘eco-friendly’.

1.6.
Lastly, the Commission document refers to US require-
ments in California, which will not be applied ‘until the 2004
model year’. The European Commission, however, stipulates
1 January 2003 for new vehicle types: it will be difficult for
the manufacturers of these devices, and car manufacturers, to
get the system ready in such a short time.

C 204/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

18.7.2000

2. General comments

The Committee generally approves the amendment

2.1.
proposed by the Commission.

2.2.
The Committee would however urge the Commission,
the European Parliament and the Council to apply the urgency
procedure to this directive, in order to provide the industry
with a clear and precise framework so that it can prepare OBD
systems for positive-ignition vehicles which use LPG or NG
exclusively or in part.

2.3.
This reflects the practical impossibility for the auto-
mobile industry of preparing special OBD systems for use with
LPG or NG within the deadlines laid down in the Commission
document. The reasons for this are as follows:

2.3.1.
The inclusion of vehicles using LPG or NG was not
originally foreseen in Directive 70/220/EEC or its amendment
98/69/EC, which introduced for the first time compulsory use
of OBD systems. As a result, the industry had not commenced
the relevant research for the design and installation of such
systems.

extending them to engines making exclusive or partial use of
hydrocarbons in gaseous form, quite different to liquid fuels.
The same applies to category N1 classes I and III and category
M1 weighing more than 2 500 kg.

2.3.3.
The industry has recently begun to place low-
emission vehicles using LPG and NG on the market: such
vehicles cannot adopt OBD systems within such a short time-
frame.

2.3.4.
The example for this system is to be introduced in
California, where the application of OBD systems is planned
for 2004.

3. Specific comments

3.1.

Amend point 8.1.2 of the Annex as follows:

For category M1 vehicles with mass of less than 2 500 kg and
category N1 class I vehicles, put back application of the
directive from 2003 to 1 January 2004 (new types), and from
2006 to 1 January 2007 (all types).

2.3.2.
The decision adopted by Directive 99/102/EC, adapt-
ing the initial specifications for OBD systems, points to the
advisability of gaining greater experience with the preparation
of such systems for entirely petrol-fuelled engines, before

For category M1 vehicles with mass exceeding 2 500 kg and
for category N1 classes I and III, put back application of the
directive from 2006 to 1 January 2007 (new types), and from
2007 to 1 January 2008 (all types).

Brussels, 24 May 2000.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI