WRITTEN QUESTION E-2282/02 by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission. Gas filling stations inside the EU.
Date: 2002-07-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: distributive trades, gas, motor car, motor fuel, motor vehicle, standardisation, vehicle parts

12.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/219

(2002/C 309 E/251)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2282/02

by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Commission

(24 July 2002)

Subject: Gas filling stations inside the EU

More and more questions are being asked about the problem of filling up gas-fuelled cars in the EU.

Since there are evidently no uniform standards, owners of gas-driven cars find it impossible to fill up using
a single system throughout Europe. There are considerable extra costs and obstacles involved. Furthermore,
some filling-stations refuse to sell gas to tourists or foreigners. In many EU countries there are too few gas
filling stations.

What steps will the Commission take to promote standardisation in this sphere? What measures has it
introduced to make driving gas-fuelled cars more attractive for consumers?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(5 September 2002)

New cars that are capable of using a gas fuel, for example liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed
natural gas (CNG), and vehicles that have been converted to run on such fuels are covered by certain
Community requirements that govern the safety of the gas fuel installation on the vehicle and the design of
filling aperture. For example, United Nations-Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE)
the fuel
Regulation No 67 provides for the type-approval of LPG equipment installed on motor vehicles and
Regulation 110 provides for the type-approval of CNG equipment installed on motor vehicles. Both
Regulations are accepted for European whole vehicle type-approval. Accordingly, vehicles that have a gas
fuel system designed to the requirements of Regulation 67 or 110 should be able to fill up with the
relevant fuel throughout the Community.

Regulation 67 is in the process of being modified to further improve the safety of LPG installations and
work has to be completed in the UN-ECE forum before the Community can take a decision on any new
amendments. The Community is also in the process of proposing its accession to a new UN-ECE
Regulation for the type-approval of LPG and CNG retro-fit systems. The proposed accession to this new
draft regulation on retrofitting which will be very soon transmitted to the Parliament through the assent
procedure can be considered as the quickest to promote standardisation for attracting more consumers to
gas-fuelled vehicles.

The Commission has no specific competence in addressing the adequate numbers of filling stations in the
Community selling gas fuel. However, several Member States do operate incentive schemes to encourage
the use of alternative fuel vehicles using LPG or CNG either as a new bi-fuel vehicle or an existing vehicle
retro-fitted to also operate on a gas fuel.

(2002/C 309 E/252)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2285/02

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 July 2002)

Subject: Refusal to pay overtime and consequences for the health care of citizens and doctors’ health

resulting from cuts in the numbers of doctors on duty

According to a reference document submitted to the European Parliament and in the light of many related
incidents that have occurred on Greek territory, it seems that unexpected cuts are being made in the
number of doctors on duty and that duty doctors are not being remunerated for their work. This has
is much frequented by tourists,
occurred, for example,

in the region of Chalkidiki. Since Chalkidiki