Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Fifth annual Report (Reporting year 2006)
Date: 2008-12-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, air quality, diesel fuel, marketing, motor vehicle, petrol, pollution control, product quality, report

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 01.12.2008 
COM(2008) 799 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: 
Fifth annual report 
(Reporting year 2006) 

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1. 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Directive  98/70/EC1  sets  minimum  specifications  on  health  and  environmental  grounds  for 
fuels  to  be  used  for  vehicles  equipped  with  positive-ignition  and  compression-ignition 
engines.  Fuel  quality  is  environmentally  important  because  it  affects  engine  pollutant 
emissions and thus air quality. It also affects the ease and cost with which desired pollutant 
and  greenhouse  emission  limits  can  be  achieved  by  manufacturers.  Directive  2003/17/EC2, 
amending Directive 98/70/EC, requires a further reduction of the sulphur content of petrol and 
diesel fuels.  

Non-respect  of  the  fuel  specification  can  lead  to  increased  emissions  (for  example  excess 
oxygenates  can  increase  NOx  emissions)  and  might  damage  engine  and  exhaust  after-
treatment  systems  (for  example  excess  sulphur  damaging  catalysts)  leading  to  higher  air 
pollutant emissions. In order to ensure compliance with the fuel quality standards mandatory 
under this Directive, Member States are required to introduce fuel quality monitoring systems. 

Article 8 of Directive 98/70/EC requires the Commission to publish annually, a report on fuel 
quality  in  the  Member  States.  This  fifth  Commission  Report  summarises  Member  States’ 
submissions on the quality of petrol and diesel, as well as the volumes sold, for the year 2006. 
All Member States except Malta submitted national reports for 2006.  

The monitoring of fuel quality in 2006 shows that the specifications for petrol and diesel laid 
down  in  Directive  98/70/EC  are  in  general  met  and  again  few  exceedances  were  identified. 
For  petrol  the  main  parameters  where  exceedances  were  identified  were  research/motor 
octane  number  (RON/MON)3,  summer  vapour  pressure4  and  distillation/evaporation  at 
100/150°C5 For diesel the main parameters where exceedances were identified were sulphur 
content, distillation 95% point, cetane number and density.  

Although  several  Member  States  reported  non-compliant  samples,  in  general  fewer  samples 
exceeded  the  limit  values  (and  the  limits  of  tolerance  for  the  test  methods)  compared  to 
previous  years.  Several  of  the  new  EU10  Member  States  previously  reported  significant 
numbers  of  samples  non-compliant  with  limit  values,  but  the  number  of  non-compliant 
samples they reported has reduced significantly in 2006. Belgium reported a higher proportion 
(~3.5%)  of  non-compliant  samples  than  other  Member  States  in  2005  (though  improved  on 
previous years), however insufficient detail has been provided in 2006 to gauge actual non-
compliance numbers.  

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5 

Directive  98/70/EC  relating  to  the  quality  of  petrol  and  diesel  fuels  and  amending  Council  Directive  93/12/EEC 
O.J. L 350, 28.12.1998, p. 58 
Directive  2003/17/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  3  March  2003  amending  Directive 
98/70/EC relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels O.J. L 76, 22.3.2003, p. 10 
Research Octane Number (RON) is a quantitative measure of the maximum compression ratio at which 
petrol  can be used  in  an  engine  without  some  of  the  mixture  self  igniting  in  the  engine. Self  ignition 
leads to excess fuel consumption and an increase in Volatile Organic Compound and Carbon Monoxide 
emissions. 
Vapour  pressure  is  a  measure  of  the  propensity  of  the  fuel  to  evaporate.  It  is  regulated  in  summer 
because temperatures at that time of year can lead to high emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds, 
which  are  a  precursor  of  ground  level  ozone.  Exceedances  will  result  in  increased  Volatile  Organic 
Compound emissions. 
The distillation parameter establishes the proportion of the fuel that evaporates at 100˚C and 150˚C. It 
limits  the  range  of  lighter  components  that  can  be  blended  in  the  petrol.  Exceedances  could  lead  to 
vapour locks and driveability problems.  

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Sulphur content for diesel was a particular problem in previous years (mainly for EU-10), due 
to the new mandatory <50 ppm level from the start of 2005. However, this problem appears to 
have been resolved in 2006. 

The Commission is not aware of any negative repercussions on vehicle emissions or engine 
functioning related to these exceedances, but continues to urge Member States to take action 
in order to ensure full compliance. Most are doing so already, and details of action taken by 
Member States with regard to non-compliance are included, where provided, in the individual 
country chapters of the detailed report for 20066. The Commission will continue monitoring 
compliance with the fuel quality requirements laid down in the Directive.  

For  the  abatement  of  air  pollution  and  the  introduction  of  new  engine  technology  it  is 
important to note that the share of <10 ppm and <50 ppm sulphur fuels increased significantly 
from 2001 to 2006 for EU-15. From 2005, it was mandatory for all fuel to meet the <50 ppm 
sulphur  level,  and  for  fuels  of  <10  ppm  sulphur  to  be  introduced  in  all  Member  States. 
Average  sulphur  content  in  2006  is  substantially  below  that  reported  in  2004  as  shown  in 
table 1. 

Table 1: Annual trend in average sulphur content in petrol and diesel fuels for the EU 

EU average Sulphur Content, ppm 

EU15  EU10 

Fuel/Year 

2001 

2002 

2003* 2004*

2005*

2006#

2006*  2006# 

Petrol 

Diesel 

68 

51 

37 

38 

223 

169 

125 

113 

19 

25 

18 

22 

18 

22 

18 

17 

*Excludes France, who failed to report in 2003 to 2005.  
#Excludes Malta, who failed to report in 2006. 
EU average includes EU10 country data from 2004. 

National  fuel  quality  monitoring  systems  still  differ  considerably;  however,  the  Directive 
requirements  are  expected  to  promote  greater  homogeneity  and  to  improve  the  quality  of 
reporting. 

2. 

INTRODUCTION 

The specifications for petrol and diesel sold in the European Union are laid down in annexes 
to Directive 98/70/EC. From 1 January 2005 only one set of fuel specifications has applied. 
The Directive also requires Member States to report summaries of the quality of fuels sold in 
their  territories.  From  2004  onwards,  Member  States  are  required  to  report  on  their 
monitoring in accordance with European Standard, EN 142747, or with systems of equivalent 
confidence.  Article  8  of  Directive  98/70/EC,  as  amended  by  Article  1(5)  of  Directive 
2003/17/EC, requires the Commission to forward the results of Member States’ fuel quality 
reporting.  In  compliance  with  this  request,  this  fifth  Commission  Report  summarises  the 

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See http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/transport/pdf/fqm_summary_2006.pdf 
EN 14274:2003  -  Automotive  fuels  -  Assessment  of  petrol  and  diesel  quality  -  Fuel  Quality  Monitoring 
System (FQMS). 

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quality of petrol and diesel, as well as the volumes sold, in the Community for the year 2006. 
Previous year's reports can be found on the Commission's web pages8.  

3. 

NATIONAL MONITORING SYSTEMS 

A  number  of  different  approaches  have  been  used  to  implement  Fuel  Quality  Monitoring 
Systems  (FQMS)  across  the  EU.  These  range  from  those  based  on  European  Standard  EN 
14274,  with  sampling  at  a  range  of  fuel  retail  stations,  through  to  national  systems.  For 
example,  systems  in  Sweden  and  the  UK  integrate  sampling  and  analysis  of  all  refinery  or 
imported batches  into the requirements for distribution  of fuels within the country. There is 
also random sampling across the distribution chain throughout the year. The systems active in 
several Member States were originally designed for other purposes, and this explains some of 
the  variations  in  coverage  and  application  across  the  EU.  A  greater  degree  of  homogeneity 
was expected from 2004, when the amended Directive requires Member States to: "establish 
a  fuel  quality  monitoring  system  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  relevant 
European Standard" (EN 14274 & EN 142759) from 1 January 2004. Since 2001 a significant 
number of changes have been made to Monitoring Systems. From the EU-15 Member States, 
6  have  now  moved  their  systems  to  ones  based  upon  EN  14274  as  have  6  of  the  EU-10 
Member States. Portugal has stated it is still in the process of changing its system to comply 
with EN 14274. Alternative monitoring systems may be permitted by the Directive, provided 
such  systems  ensure  results  of  an  equivalent  confidence.  So  far  only  Cyprus,  Denmark  and 
Malta  have  provided  information  justifying  their  use  of  National  Systems  with  reduced 
sampling. The UK has also provided information on the statistical confidence of its system. 
Figure 2 summarises the sampling rate across the EU in 2006. 

4. 

2006 REPORTING 

4.1 Fuel Qualities and Volumes 

All petrol and diesel sales in the EU are now of fuel with <50 ppm and <10 ppm sulphur. Of 
all  petrol  sold,  58%  was  low  sulphur  (<50  ppm)  and  42%  sulphur  free  (<10  ppm).  Of  all 
diesel sold the equivalent split was 69% and 31%.  

Similarly  to  2001-2005  (for  submissions  received),  the  largest  total  sales  of  fuels  in  2006 
were made in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (Figure 3). Diesel sales 
are dominant  in  many  Member  States; however the relative proportions of petrol and diesel 
vary.  

Sales in EU-10 Member States comprised 10.1% and 9.9% of total petrol and diesel sales in 
the EU respectively (down slightly since 2005). Significantly higher proportions of sulphur-
free petrol and diesel grades were sold in the EU-10 (49% and 58% respectively), compared 
to the EU-15 (41% and 29% respectively).  

While  a  wide  variety  of  octane  and  sulphur  grade  petrols  were  available  across  the  EU  in 
2006, the majority of sales comprised RON95 (83% of the total, 54% being low sulphur and 
29% sulphur free10), see Figure 1 and table in the Annex for full details by Member State.  

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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/transport/fuel_quality_monitoring.htm 
EN 14275:2003 - Automotive fuels - Assessment of petrol and diesel fuel quality -Sampling from retail site 
station pumps and commercial site fuel dispensers.  
The term “low sulphur” corresponds to a sulphur content of <50 ppm; the term “sulphur free” or “zero sulphur” to a 
sulphur content of <10 ppm  

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Figure 1: 

2006 EU Fuel sales proportions by fuel type (%) 

Petrol Sales 

2006  Diesel Sales 

2006 

  Type 
13  Diesel 
14  Diesel (<50 ppm sulphur) 
15  Diesel (<10 ppm sulphur) 

% 
0.0% 
68.6% 
31.4% 

Type 

1  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 
2  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 (<50 ppm S) 
3  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 (<10 ppm S) 
4  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 
5  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 (<50 ppm S) 
6  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 (<10 ppm S) 
7  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 
8  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 (<50 ppm S) 
9  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 (<10 ppm S) 
10  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 
11  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 (<50 ppm S) 
12  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 (<10 ppm S) 

% 
0.0% 
0.3% 
7.0% 
0.0% 
54.0% 
29.3% 

0.0% 

3.1% 
0.08% 
0.0% 
0.6% 
5.6% 

Since 2001 there has been increased homogeneity in the number of grades of fuel reported to 
be available across the EU (Figure 4). In 2006 there are generally 2-3 petrol grades available, 
mainly  a  result  of  different  octane  levels  (RON  category),  however  separate  sulphur-free 
grades are appearing in some cases (for example Estonia, which has a sulphur-free version of 
each fuel type). Separate (marked) national sulphur-free (<10 ppm) fuel grades were available 
in 10 EU15 (only 1 in 2001) and 4 EU10 Member States in 2006 (in others fuel meeting the 
sulphur limit is available but unmarked at sale), as in 2005. 

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Figure 2: 

Fuel Quality Monitoring sampling rate across the EU in 2006 (average number of samples per fuel grade) 

1181

2638

1064

290

1150

380

461

645

2166

948

413

243

246

220

150

158

131

100

104

88

61

120

96

120

115

142
95

60

164

167

151

103

73

2

2

0

0

100

50

102

79

68

42

29

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200

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FR DE EL HU IE

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LV LT LU MT NL PL PT SK SI ES SE UK

Petrol 

Diesel 

Figure 3: 

National fuel sales in 2006 by fuel type across the EU (million litres)* 

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

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* Excludes Malta who failed to submit a report in 2006 

Total Petrol 

Total Diesel 

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Figure 4: 

Number of fuel grades available nationally by fuel type across the EU in 2006 

4

3

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1

0

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Number of Petrol Grades 

Number of Diesel Grades 

Figure 5: 

National sales of low sulphur petrol grades across the EU (%) in 2006 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

AT BE CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IE

IT

LV LT LU MT NL PL PT SK SI ES SE UK

Petrol (regular) 

Petrol (<50 ppm sulphur) 

Petrol (<10 ppm sulphur) 

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Figure 6: 

National sales of low sulphur diesel grades across the EU (%) 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

AT BE CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE EL HU IE

IT

LV LT LU MT NL PL PT SK SI ES SE UK

Diesel (regular) 

Diesel (<50 ppm sulphur) 

Diesel (<10 ppm sulphur) 

Figure 7: 

Average sulphur content of petrol and diesel grades across the EU (%) 

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

2005 limits

2009 limits

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Notes: Excludes Malta who failed to submit a report in 2006 

Petrol 

Diesel 

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Low  sulphur  fuels  were  available  during  2001-2004  in  many  EU  Member  States,  although 
mandatory introduction was not required until 2005 (see Figure 5 and Figure 6). Low sulphur 
(<50 ppm) grades are mandatory from 1 January 2005, as was the introduction of sulphur-free 
(<10  ppm)  fuels.  However  several  Member  States  are  yet  to  introduce  separately  marketed 
(and  labelled)  sulphur  free  fuels.  Some  have  not  provided  sufficient  information  to  judge 
whether  they  are  available  “on  an  appropriately  balanced  geographical  basis”,  as  required 
by the Directive, and Cyprus, Malta and the UK have not yet made them available at all. 

Member  States  do  not  have  to  fully  switch  to  sulphur-free  fuels  until  2009.  However,  for 
petrol  fuels  in  the  EU-15,  five  Member  States  (Austria,  Denmark,  Finland,  Germany  and 
Sweden)  had  already  fully  moved  over  to  sulphur  free  petrol  grades  and  similarly  (except 
Austria)  for  sulphur-free  diesel  grades  in  2006.  In  Sweden  virtually  all  diesel  has  been 
sulphur-free since 1999, and in Germany it has been available from 2003. Two of the EU-10 
had  fully  switched  to  sulphur-free  fuel  grades  –  Hungary  for  both  petrol  and  diesel,  and 
Estonia for petrol only.  

In addition, in Luxembourg, Slovakia and Slovenia where low sulphur fuel grades (< 50 ppm) 
are  marketed,  the  average  sulphur  content  of  some  or  all  of  these  grades  was  found  to  be 
below 10 ppm. Thus in these countries it appears that fuel sales may be sulphur free, although 
this is not certain or guaranteed because the fuel grades allow for a sulphur content of up to 50 
ppm. 

While  separate  (or  labelled)  sulphur-free  fuel  grades,  or  separate  sales  figures  were  not 
available in 2006 in some Member States, fuels complying with the <10ppm sulphur criterion 
were available in many cases, e.g. Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. This can be seen in 
Figure 7, which presents the average sulphur content of petrol and diesel grades by Member 
State  across  the  EU.  (Average  sulphur  content  is  calculated  from  the  mean  sulphur  content 
from  reporting  on  the  sampled  fuels,  weighted  to  the  quantities  of  different  petrol  or  diesel 
fuel grades sold). The earlier Table 1 demonstrated that the annual average sulphur content of 
petrol  and  diesel  fuels  sold  in  the  EU  is  decreasing,  and  together  with  Figure  7  shows  that 
much  of  the  fuel  sold  in  previous  years  already  complied  with  the  2005  sulphur  limit  (<50 
ppm sulphur) for petrol and diesel. 

4.2 Compliance with Directive 98/70/EC in 2006 

Table 2 summarises the compliance of Member States with Directive 98/70/EC for the year 
2006 reporting in terms of the results of the analysis of samples against limit values and the 
reporting format and content. As for 2001 to 2005, the quality of the compliance assessment 
suffers  in  a  few  cases  from  incomplete  information  provided  by  Member  States.  Details  of 
action taken with regard to limit value non-compliance by Member States are included where 
provided in the individual country chapters of the detailed report for the year 2006. 

It can be seen that 8 Member States are in complete compliance with Directive 98/70/EC limit 
values for both petrol and diesel for all samples (compared to 5 in 2001 for the EU-15 and 6 
in 2005 for EU-25). With the exception of oxygenates (for 2 Member States, see notes 4 and 5 
of  the  table),  19  Member  States  also  provided  complete  reporting  across  the  range  of 
parameters specified for monitoring in the Directive.  

In  2006,  16  Member  States  (8  EU-15)  reported  at  least  one  petrol  sample  that  was  non-
compliant, this is in comparison to 17 Member States in 2005 (8 EU-15). For the EU15, in 
2001,  10  Member  States  reported  at  least  one  non-compliant  sample.  Of  these,  the  main 
parameters  of  concern  were  again  research/motor  octane  number  (25  samples),  summer 
vapour pressure (38 samples) and distillation - evaporation at 100/150°C (4 samples). 

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For diesel, 10 Member States (3 EU-15) reported at least one sample that was non-compliant. 
This  is  compared  to  4  in  2001  and  10  EU  Member  States  in  2004  (4  EU-15).  Of  these,  the 
parameters of concern were sulphur content (21 samples), distillation 95% point (8 samples), 
cetane number (5 samples) and density (5 samples). 

Although  several  Member  States  reported  non-compliant  samples,  far  fewer  samples 
exceeded  the  limit  values  (and  the  limits  of  tolerance  for  the  test  methods)  compared  to 
previous  years.  Several  of  the  new  EU10  Member  States  reported  significant  numbers  of 
samples non-compliant with limit values in previous years, but these occurrences have been 
significantly  reduced  in  2006.  Belgium  reported  a  higher  proportion  of  non-compliant 
samples  than  other  Member  States  in  2005,  with  improved  compliance  levels  on  previous 
years, however insufficient detail has been provided in 2006 to gauge actual non-compliance 
numbers. Sulphur content proved a particular problem for previous years (mainly EU-10), due 
to the mandatory <50 ppm level from the start of 2005. This problem appears to have been 
resolved in 2006. 

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Table 2: 

Summary of Member State compliance with 98/70/EC for 2006 reporting. 

Incomplete reporting  
[Number of parameters 
not measured / Total] 
Diesel 
Petrol 

Late report 
(Due by 
30/6/2007) (2) 

Notes 

Limit value non-compliance (1)  
(95% confidence limits) 
[Non-compliant samples / Total samples] 

Petrol 

2 / 203 

Diesel 

>7 / 4722 

>5 / 5276 

16 / 871 
2 / 40 
11 / 300 
1 / 262 
3 / 175 
8 / 414 

6 / 120 
8 / 115 
4 / 283 
3 / 1382 
1 / 218 

9 / 492 

16 / 237 
8 / 136 

18 / 1064 

1 / 100 
2 / 158 
1 / 122 

3 / 1150 
1 / 103 

3 / 220 

2 / 102 
5 / 151 

8 / 18 
7 / 18 

6 / 18 

1 / 18 

7 / 18 

7 / 18 

1 / 18 

6 / 18 

Member State 

Austria 

Belgium 
Cyprus 
Czech Republic 
Denmark 
Estonia 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Hungary 
Ireland 
Italy 
Latvia 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta 
Netherlands 
Poland 
Portugal 
Slovakia 
Slovenia 
Spain 
Sweden 
UK 
No. Countries 

Notes: 

16 

10 

8 

0 

<4 months 

<7 months 

(3)  

<5 months 

(4)  

(5)  

(6)  

(7)  

(8)  

<1 month 
<7 months 
<8 months 

<1 month 

<1 month 

<7 months 
Not received 

<2 months 

<1 month 

 (9)  

(10) 

<4 months 
13 

(1) 

It  is  not  possible  to  confirm  whether  limit  values  have  been  respected  in  all  samples,  where  reporting  data  is  incomplete. 
Where it has not been possible to establish from submissions the number of samples exceeding the limit value a ‘>’ symbol 
indicates that the number of samples exceeding limits is a minimum and might be greater. 

(2)  Directive 98/70/EC states that Member States should submit monitoring reports by no later than 30th June each year. 

(3)  MON and oxygenates (other than ethers with more than 5 carbon atoms per molecule) were not reported.  

(4)  DVPE samples number for Grade 12 not reported. 

(5)  A partially complete report was submitted in July 2007, however complete details were not provided until January 2008. 
(6)  Oxygenates  (other  than  ethers  with  more  than  5  carbon  atoms  per  molecule)  have  not  been  reported.  In  principle,  all 
substances  on  the  list  are  measured  at  once  using  the  oxygenate test  methods.  In  this  case  the  system  has  to  be  calibrated 
using a calibration sample, containing the same oxygenates in similar proportions as present in the sample under test. It is not 
clear in most cases, whether this has been carried out (Portugal have stated no other oxygenates are added). Total organically 
bound oxygen is calculated from the % by mass of the components after identification. 

(7) 

Test  method  EN  1601  was  employed  for  the  determination  of  oxygenate  content  in  petrol  samples.  EN  1601  requires  the 
examination  of  each  sample  chromatogram  to  identify  possible  oxygen  containing  components,  before  the  actual 
determination  is  carried  out.  The  examination  of  all  chromatograms  related  to  FQMS  samples  showed  that  only  one 
oxygenate  compound  was  present  in  each  sample  (MTBE,  ETBE,  TAME).  No  other  oxygenate  compound  was  detected 
beside one of these ethers. Analysis for lead was also not provided for <10ppm petrol fuel. 

(8) 

The full details on numbers of non-compliant samples were not provided. 

(9)  No vapour pressure results were provided for RON 98. 
(10)  For RON95 petrol: Oxygen content and 5/7 oxygenates have not been reported (Sweden's note: Ethanol is added at the gantry 
but also at refineries. Therefore the DVPE is a mix of both with and without ethanol. The addition of Ethanol of up to 5% 
increases  the  DVPE  with  about  7  kPa.  The  oxygen  content  is  not  available  in  the  finished  fuel).  For  RON98  petrol:  6/7 
oxygenates (i.e. other than ethers with more than 5 carbon atoms per molecule) have not been reported. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
5. 

CONCLUSIONS  

Fuel  quality  is  environmentally  important  because  it  affects  engine  pollutant  emissions  and 
thus air quality as well as the ease and cost with which desired pollutant and greenhouse gas 
emission  limits  can  be  achieved  by  manufacturers.  The  monitoring  of  fuel  quality  in  2006 
shows  that  the  specifications  for  petrol  and  diesel  laid  down  in  Directive  98/70/EC  are  in 
general met and very few exceedances were identified. The Commission is not aware of any 
negative repercussions on vehicle emissions or engine functioning due to these exceedances. 
The  Commission  remains  concerned  about  the  exceedances  and  will  continue  monitoring 
compliance  with  the  fuel  quality  requirements  laid  down  in  the  Directive.  The  Commission 
will continue exploring the use of more detailed statistical analysis of reported data. 

The share of <10 and <50 ppm fuels have been increasing from 2001 to 2005. For 2006 the 
proportions  have  increased  significantly,  with  the  <50  ppm  sulphur  limit  becoming 
mandatory,  and  the  requirement  for  introduction  of  <10  ppm  sulphur  fuels  across  the  EU. 
Zero sulphur fuels were available in the majority of Member States in 2006 (UK, Malta and 
Cyprus  still  need  to  introduce  these  fuels).  However,  from  current  indications  there  are  still 
cases where the grades do not appear to be labelled in certain Member States.  

This  lack  of  labelling  could  hamper  the  introduction  of  vehicles  using  technology  requiring 
sulphur-free  fuels  before  full  mandatory  introduction  in  2009  since  without  labelling 
consumers have no possibility to choose these fuels. This is particularly important for owners 
of  vehicles  utilising  technology  that  requires  sulphur-free  fuel  and  significantly  undermines 
the value of having fuels meeting this criterion available. As a result the full potential offered 
for reductions in CO2 from the road transport sector would not be realised. Belgium, Czech 
Republic,  Ireland,  Latvia,  Luxemburg,  Slovakia  and  Slovenia  are  countries  where  action 
could  be  taken  to  ensure  zero  sulphur  fuels  are  labelled  in  future  years.  Reporting  on  this 
labelling  could  help  the  automotive  industry  gain  confidence  in  fuel  availability  so  that 
vehicles taking full advantage of the zero sulphur content are more widely introduced leading 
to  an  environmental  gain  through  lower  pollutant  and  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  In  general 
very limited information has been provided by Member States on the geographical availability 
of  zero  sulphur  fuels.  Most  Member  States  simply  stating  they  were  widely  available,  but 
provided no supplementary information to provide a measure of the geographical availability. 

The  fuel  quality  monitoring  systems  established  at  national  level  differ  considerably  and 
require  further  harmonisation  in  order  to  provide  transparent  and  comparable  results.  The 
implementation  of  Directive  2003/17/EC  has  led  to  improved  quality  of  reporting  as  it 
requires Member States to report on monitoring in accordance to the new European Standard, 
EN 14274,  or  with  systems  of  equivalent  confidence.  Where  Member  States  do  not  report 
according to EN 14274 format, justification for this must be provided. 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
Million litres 

ID 
No.  Fuel grade 
1  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 
2  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 (<50 ppm S) 
3  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 (<10 ppm S) 
4  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 
5  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 (<50 ppm S) 
6  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 (<10 ppm S) 
7  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 
8  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 (<50 ppm S) 
9  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 (<10 ppm S) 
10  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 
11  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 (<50 ppm S) 
12  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 (<10 ppm S) 

  Petrol (regular) 
  Petrol (<50 ppm sulphur) 
  Petrol (<10 ppm sulphur) 
  Total Petrol 
13  Diesel 
14  Diesel (<50 ppm sulphur) 
15  Diesel (<10 ppm sulphur) 
  Total Diesel 

Million litres 

ID 
No.  Fuel grade 
1  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 
2  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 (<50 ppm S) 
3  Unleaded petrol min. RON=91 (<10 ppm S) 
4  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 
5  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 (<50 ppm S) 
6  Unleaded petrol min. RON=95 (<10 ppm S) 
7  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 
8  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 (<50 ppm S) 
9  Unleaded petrol 95=<RON<98 (<10 ppm S) 
10  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 
11  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 (<50 ppm S) 
12  Unleaded petrol RON>=98 (<10 ppm S) 

  Petrol (regular) 
  Petrol (<50 ppm sulphur) 
  Petrol (<10 ppm sulphur) 
  Total Petrol 
13  Diesel 
14  Diesel (<50 ppm sulphur) 
15  Diesel (<10 ppm sulphur) 
  Total Diesel 

ANNEX:2006 EU fuel sales by fuel type (million litres) 

Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland 

AU 
- 
- 
694 
- 
- 
1,927 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
76 
0 
0 
2,697 
2,697 
- 
1,031 
6,331 
7,362 

BE 
- 
- 
- 
- 
793 
684 
- 
- 
- 
- 
253 
253 
0 
1,046 
937 
1,984 
- 
6,865 
706 
7,572 

DK 
- 
- 
513 
- 
- 
1,920 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
13 
0 
0 
2,446 
2,446 
- 
- 
3,071 
3,071 

FI 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
2,261 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
221 
0 
0 
2,483 
2,483 
- 
- 
2,459 
2,459 

FR 
- 
- 
- 
- 
10,040 
- 
- 
- 
109 
- 
- 
3,529 
0 
10,040 
3,638 
13,678 
- 
36,230 
1,510 
37,740 

DE 
- 
- 
8,504 
- 
- 
21,232 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
870 
0 
0 
30,605 
30,605 
- 
- 
35,616 
35,616 

EL 
- 
- 
- 
- 
4,500 
- 
- 
581 
- 
- 
34 
343 
0 
5,114 
343 
5,458 
- 
2,574 
42 
2,616 

IE 
- 
- 
- 
- 

Italy  Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal Spain Sweden UK 
UK 
IT 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
23,658
- 
- 
1,066 
- 
- 
- 
- 
0 
24,724
0 

PT 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
1,891 
- 
- 
- 
375 
0 
1,891 
375 
2,266 
- 
5,377 
316 
5,693 

ES 
- 
- 
- 
- 
8,196
- 
- 
16 
- 
- 
- 
1,173
0 
8,212
1,173
9,385
- 
29,350
0 
29,350

SE 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
4,994 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
354 
0 
0 
5,348 
5,348 
- 
- 
4,422 
4,422 

EU15 
EU15  % Total 

EU15 

0.0% 
0 
0.0% 
0 
7.7% 
9,711 
0.0% 
0 
55.4% 
69,951 
27.8% 
35,082 
0.0% 
0 
2.8% 
3,555 
0.1% 
109 
0.0% 
0 
0.5% 
619 
5.7% 
7,207 
0.0% 
0 
58.7% 
74,126 
41.3% 
52,110 
24,724 126,235  100.0% 
0 

0.0% 
71.4% 
24,286 146,394 
28.6% 
58,557 
24,286 204,950  100.0% 

- 

- 

NL 
- 
- 
- 
- 
5,647 
- 
- 
1 
- 
- 
217 
- 
0 
5,864 
0 
5,864 
- 
7,851 
1,493 
9,345 

LU 
- 
0 
- 
- 
494 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
116 
- 
0 
610 
0 
610 
- 
2,111 
- 
2,111 

1,599  15,025
1,313 
750 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
0 
0 

1,599  15,025
750 
1,313 
2,349  16,339

- 

- 

1,979  28,739
1,670 
920 
2,899  30,409

Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Malta  Poland Slovakia Slovenia EU10  EU10 
EU10  % Total
LT 
0.0% 
- 
0 
2.7% 
94 
380 
0.7% 
- 
105 
0.0% 
- 
0 
41.8% 
386 
5,958 
43.1% 
4 
6,145 
0.0% 
- 
0 
5.5% 
- 
785 
0.0% 
- 
0 
0.0% 
- 
0 
1.2% 
- 
165 
5.1% 
10 
722 
0.0% 
0 
0 
51.1% 
479 
7,289 
6,971 
14 
48.9% 
14,259 100.0%
493 
0.0% 
- 
0 
42.4% 
913 
9,556 
12,979
113 
57.6% 
22,535 100.0%
1,026 

HU 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
1,969 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
175 
0 
0 
2,143 
2,143 
- 
- 
3,236 
3,236 

PL 
- 
- 
- 
- 
1,967 
3,188 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
440 
0 
1,967 
3,627 
5,595 
- 
755 
9,000 
9,755 

SI 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
785 
- 
- 
77 
- 
0 
862 
0 
862 
- 
1,149 
- 
1,149 

CZ 
- 
258 
- 
- 
2,715 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
30 
- 
0 
3,003 
0 
3,003 
- 
4,909 
- 
4,909 

MT 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 

LV 
- 
15 
- 
- 
404 
1 
- 
- 
- 
- 
10 
34 
0 
430 
35 
464 
- 
792 
3 
795 

SK 
- 
14 
69 
- 
97 
602 
- 
- 
- 
- 
1 
16 
0 
113 
687 
800 
- 
511 
327 
838 

CY 
- 
- 
- 
- 
388 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
46 
- 
0 
434 
0 
434 
- 
398 
- 
398 

EE 
- 
- 
36 
- 
- 
381 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
48 
0 
0 
464 
464 
- 
129 
300 
429 

European Union  European Union 

EU 
0 
380 
9,816 
0 
75,909 
41,227 
0 
4,340 
109 
0 
785 
7,928 
0 
81,414 
59,080 
140,495 
0 
155,949 
71,536 
227,485 

% Total 
0.0% 
0.3% 
7.0% 
0.0% 
54.0% 
29.3% 
0.0% 
3.1% 
0.1% 
0.0% 
0.6% 
5.6% 
0.0% 
57.9% 
42.1% 
100.0% 
0.0% 
68.6% 
31.4% 
100.0% 

EN 

13 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EN 

14 

EN