REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union: Ninth annual report (Reporting year 2010)
Date: 2012-12-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: air quality, diesel fuel, marketing standard, motor vehicle, petrol, pollution control, quality control of industrial products, quality standard, road transport

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 13.12.2012  
COM(2012) 749 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union:  
Ninth annual report  
(Reporting year 2010) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Quality of petrol and diesel fuel used for road transport in the European Union:  
Ninth annual report  
(Reporting year 2010) 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Directive  98/70/EC1  sets  minimum  technical  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 pollution 
emissions and thus air quality. It also affects the ease and cost with which desired pollution 
and greenhouse gas emission limits can be achieved by manufacturers. 

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  greater  air 
pollution. 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 an annual report on fuel 
quality  in  the  Member  States.  This  ninth  Commission  Report  summarises  Member  States’ 
submissions  on  the  quality  of  petrol  and  diesel,  as  well  as  the  volumes  sold,  for  2010.  All 
Member States submitted a full report for 2010. Some Member States reported later than the 
required deadline of 30 June. 

The  timeliness  of  the  submission  of  reports  was  slightly  worse  than  in  2009,  17  Member 
States submitted their 2010 report before the annual deadline, of the remaining 10 reports 5 
were received 3 months or more after the reporting deadline. 

Fuel quality monitoring data in 2010 showed that the specifications for petrol and diesel laid 
down  in  Directive  98/70/EC  were  in  general  met  and  few  exceedances  were  identified.  For 
petrol  the  main  parameters  where  exceedances  were  identified  were  research/motor  octane 
number (RON/MON)2, summer vapour pressure3, distillation/evaporation at 100/150°C4 and 

1 

2 

3 

4 

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. 
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.  

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
                                                 
the  maximum  sulphur  content.  For  diesel  the  main  parameters  where  exceedances  were 
identified were sulphur content, distillation 95% point and cetane number.  

As  exceedances  are  relatively  rare,  and  most  Member  States  take  action  to  remove  non-
compliant  fuel  from  sale,  the  Commission  is  not  aware  of  any  negative  repercussions  on 
vehicle emissions or engine functioning. However, the Commission urges Member States to 
continue  to  take  action  to  ensure  full  compliance  so  that  such  problems  do  not  arise  in  the 
future. 

Low  sulphur  content  helps  reduce  air  pollution  and  the  introduction  of  new  engine 
technology. A new specification for automotive road fuels came into force on 1 January 2009 
which limits the sulphur content of all automotive road fuels in the EU to 10 ppm (sulphur-
free fuels). This represents the second year of reporting since this requirement came into force 
and the average sulphur continued below this level in 2010, as shown in Table 1: 

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

EU 

Average sulphur content, ppm* 

Fuel/Year 

2002  2003*  2004* 2005* 2006** 2007*** 2008*** 2009***  2010 

Petrol 

Diesel 

51 

37 

38 

169 

125 

113 

19 

25 

18 

22 

18 

23 

14 

18 

6 

8 

6 

7.5  

*Excludes France, which did not report in 2003 – 2005. 
**Excludes Malta, which did not report in 2006. 
***Excludes Luxembourg, which did not report in 2007, 2008 or fully in 2009. 

National  fuel  quality  monitoring  systems  still  differ  considerably.  However,  the  Directive's 
requirements are expected to promote 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  the 
Directive 98/70/EC. The Directive requires Member States to report summaries of the quality 
of  fuels  sold  in  their  territories.  From  2004  onwards,  Member  States  are  required  to  report 
their monitoring in accordance with European Standard, EN 142745, or with systems having 
an equivalent degree of confidence. Article 8 of Directive 98/70/EC, as amended by Article 
1(5)  of  Directive  2003/17/EC,  requires  the  Commission  to  publish  the  results  of  Member 
States’ fuel quality reporting. In compliance with this request, this ninth Commission Report 
summarises the quality of petrol and diesel, as well as the volumes sold, in the EU for the year 
2010. Previous years' reports can be found on the Commission's web pages6.  

5 

6 

EN 14274:2003 - Automotive fuels - Assessment of petrol and diesel quality - Fuel Quality Monitoring 
System (FQMS). 
https://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/5e89b837-2bec-4284-b9fe-c156271268f7 

EN 

3 

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3. 

NATIONAL MONITORING SYSTEMS 

Commission  Decision  2002/159/EC  and  European  Standard  EN  14274,  have  enhanced  the 
usefulness  of  the  information  and  facilitated  analysis  of  EU  fuel  trends.  The  quality  of  the 
monitoring  systems’  design,  compliance  with  limit  values  and  information  provided  in 
submissions  is  continuing  to  improve.  However,  there  are  still  a  few  key  areas  for 
improvement, summarised as follows: 
Member States are encouraged to continue to improve the timeliness of the submissions.  

Several Member States do not complete sufficient sampling for all fuels or are not sampling 
sufficiently at service stations (as opposed to depot/refinery) to meet the requirements of EN 
142747, see Table 4.  

Where  Member  States  use  their  own  national  monitoring  systems,  they  should  be  fully 
described in order to be able to verify whether they comply with the European Standard. This 
description should show the monitoring system’s equivalency in statistical confidence to EN 
14274.  

Member  State  reports  are  assessed  according  to  the  appropriate  seasonal  periods  to  ensure 
comparability  for  EU-wide  reporting.  Where  a  Member  State  has  chosen  to  use  a  different 
seasonal period to that specified, appropriate information should be provided in the national 
annex within the Fuel Quality Monitoring report. 

4. 

2010 REPORTING 

4.1 Fuel qualities and volumes 

In  contrast  to  previous  years,  the  new  sulphur  content  limit  of  a  maximum  of  10  ppm 
(introduced  in  2009)  for  all  automotive  road  fuels  has  precipitated  a  switch  from  RON  95 
(<50 mg/kg) to RON 95 (<10 mg/kg) petrol. Concerning the octane number, the majority 67% 
of petrol sales in 2010 comprised RON 95. Of the remainder, 27% was 95=<RON<98, RON 
98 was around 5% and RON 91 at 1% of the total sales.  

Figure 1: 2010 EU fuel sales proportions by fuel type (%)* 

RON=91 

RON = 
95 

RON 95=<RON<98 

RON 98 

Diesel 

Million litres 

7 

See section 5 for details. 

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4 

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Table 2: 2010 Summary by fuel type 

Fuel grade 

Million litres 

EU market share 

Unleaded min. RON=91 

Unleaded min. RON=95 

Unleaded 95≤RON<98 

Unleaded RON≥98 

Total petrol 

Diesel (<10 ppm S) 

Total diesel 

1,618 

80,308 

32,898 

6,409 

121,233 

246,841 

246,841 

1% 

67% 

27% 

5% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

Temporal trends in EU fuel sales 

Figure 2 illustrates the evolution of the fuel consumption in the EU for the last 10 years and 
shows a clear increase in the consumption of diesel compared to petrol.  

Figure 2: evolution of fuel consumption in the EU 

Million litres 

Excludes France in 2003 - 2005, as no submissions were provided; excludes Luxembourg in 
2007 to 2009 and Malta in 2006 and 2009 when no reports were provided. 

EU27 Fuel Sales by type 

Table 3 shows fuel consumption per type and Member State for 2010:  

Table 3: Fuel consumption per type and Member State 

Fuel Type 

EN 

Petrol Sales 
(million litres) 

5 

Diesel Sales 
(million litres) 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Member State 

Austria 
Belgium 
Bulgaria 
Cyprus 
Czech Rep. 
Denmark 
Estonia 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Hungary 
Ireland 
Italy 
Latvia 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta 
Netherlands 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Slovakia 
Slovenia 
Spain 
Sweden 
UK 

min. 
RON=91 
150 
- 
- 
- 
5 
517 
- 
- 
- 

min. 
RON=95 
- 
1,251 
847 
479 
- 
1,570 
- 
2,075 
8,677 

95≤ RON 
<98 
2,251 
- 
- 
- 
2,459 
- 
338 
162 
- 

943  
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
1 
- 

-  
-  
- 
- 
- 
- 

-  
- 
- 

-  
4,634 
1,743 
1,974 
11,678 
- 
385 
373 
- 

5,496  
5,138  
- 
- 
781 
- 

6,908  
4,394 
19,444 

24,901  
220 
- 
- 
- 
347 
- 
- 
91 

-  
-  
1,703 
1,274 
- 
660 

-  
- 
953 

RON ≥98 

Total Petrol 

Total Diesel 

64 
363 
- 
47 
49 
3 
33 
- 
2,202 

740  
153 
47 
- 
- 
29 
9 
92 
10 

75  
513  
187 
793 
19 
79 

766  
138 
- 

2,465 
1,614 
847 
526 
2,513 
2,090 
371 
2,237 
10,879 

26,584  
5,007 
1,790 
1,974 
11,678 
376 
394 
466 
101 

5,571  
5,651 
1,890 
2,067 
800 
739 

7,674  
4,532 
20,397 

7,437 
7,733 
2,168 
428 
4,637 
3,101 
572 
2,790 
39,749 

38,356  
2,977 
3,274 
2,672 
30,238 
801 
1,190 
1,894 
120 

7,634  
13,896  
5,898 
4,997 
1,281 
1,419 

31,540  
5,164 
24,875 

Table 3 shows the volume of fuel sales per Member State by fuel type. Some general trends 
can be noted:  

• 

• 

• 

Diesel dominates the market in all but two of the Member States. 

Belgium demonstrates the heaviest dependence on diesel which dominates fuel sales 
having 82.7% share of the market – the highest proportion of all the Member States.  

The  greatest  volume  of  fuel  sales  in  2010  took  place  in  Germany,  with  17.6  %  of 
total EU fuel sales and a petrol/diesel share of 21.9% petrol and 15.5% diesel. The 
next biggest market was the France with a 13.8% share of EU petrol and diesel fuel 
sales of 9.0% and 16.1% respectively while UK fuel sales totalled 12.3% of all fuel 
sales with a breakdown of 16.8% (petrol) and 10.1% (diesel).  

Similar  to  the  period  from  2001  to  2009,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Spain  and  the  United 
Kingdom had the greatest volume of fuel sales in 2010.  

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
Since 2001 there has been increased homogeneity in the types of grades of fuel reported to be 
available across the EU. Petrol distinction between grades has mainly resulted from different 
octane levels (RON category). In 2010, only six Member States reported three petrol grades 
available, with the remainder reporting two petrol grades (no Member State has reported the 
availability of only one petrol fuel grade).  

Before  2009,  two  diesel  grades  were  available  for  use  in  automotive  road  vehicles:  low 
sulphur and sulphur free (i.e. concentrations of. less than10 ppm sulphur). As expected, and 
confirmed by the 2010 data, all Member States have transitioned to 100% sulphur free diesel 
fuels in accordance with the mandatory sulphur content limit, hence, the number of grades of 
diesel has recede to one.  

5. SAMPLING AND REPORTING 

There  are  detailed  requirements  in  EN  14274  on  the  number  and  location  of  samples  to  be 
taken and reported in Member States' fuel quality reports. EN 14274 lists a number of factors 
to be taken into account when assessing the sampling regime: such as the number of refineries 
supplying  the  market,  the  number  of  fuel  grades  available  and  the  number  of  different 
imported fuel grades and sources. The standard specifies a minimum number of samples per 
fuel  grade  in  each  of  the  winter  and  summer  periods.  In  previous  years,  there  was  some 
uncertainty in Member States about the sampling requirements – however sample quantities 
and  the  division  of  reporting  between  summer  and  winter  periods  have  improved  in  recent 
years. 

Table 4 provides a breakdown of individual Member States sampling and reporting in 2010. 
The  total  minimum  samples  required  is  calculated  where  the  Member  State  has  used  a 
statistical  model  as  outlined  in  EN  14274,  given  that  the  minimum  sample  requirement  is 
known for each model8. The table also provides a breakdown of the total samples taken and 
the sampling carried out at service stations. Not all Member States provided this breakdown 
in 2010 (Sweden, the UK, Spain, Germany and Latvia). EN 14274 specifies that the minimum 
sampling  requirement  should  be  taken  from  fuel  dispensing  sites  –  which  are  defined  as  a 
“site,  retail  or  commercial  where  fuel  is  dispensed  into  road  vehicles  for  propulsion.” 
Therefore  any  sampling  taken  at  distribution  terminals  or  refineries  should  be  taken  in 
addition to those from service stations in order to meet minimum sampling requirements. 

8 

EN 14274 sets minimum sampling numbers for each fuel (dependant on the statistical model used and 
sales proportion). The standard specifies a minimum number of samples to be taken per fuel grade 

Samples per grade and per winter and summer period* 

Model 

Small country 

Large country 

EN 14274 Statistical Model A  50 

EN 14274 Statistical Model B  100 

EN 14274 Statistical Model C  50 

National system 

- 

100 

200 

- 

- 

* Annual sampling requirements are therefore double the table values per grade. 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
 
Where Member States have reported using a "national monitoring system"9 – an assessment 
has been made of the equivalent minimum sample requirements on the basis of the size of the 
country, and other details provided. Where the location of samples is known – it is possible to 
determine whether sample quantities demonstrate compliance with EN 14274. 

Seven  Member  States  (either  using  a  system  based  on  EN  14274  or  a  national  monitoring 
system)  failed  to  fully  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  standard.  This  was  due  to  the 
locations where samples were taken and also the number of samples collected; however, those 
problems do not compromise the effectiveness and creditability of the results reported to the 
Commission. 

The Commission is currently working with the Member States to clarify the reasons for those 
deviations and trying to guarantee that this situation will be improved in the future. 

Table  4  details  the  minimum  sample  number  required  to  be  taken  from  service  stations  for 
Member States to have demonstrated compliance with the Directive. 

Table  4:  Summary  of  Member  State  sampling  and  reporting  in  relation  to  the 
requirements of Directive 98/70/EC and of European Standard EN 14274 

FQMS 
Model 
(1) 

Size 
(2) 

Separa
te 
S&W? 
(3) 

MS 

Samples 
per 
grade 
per 
period 
(4) 

Total 
samples 
required 
(5) 

Samples 
Taken at 
Service 
Stations (7) 

Samples 
Taken (6) 

Pet.  Dsl. 

Pet. 

102 

100 

203 

Dsl. 

100 

Pet. 

203 

Dsl. 

100 

400 

200 

2133 

4985 

2133 

4958 

200 

200 

100 

100 

427 

293 

468 

167 

418 

149 

456 

167 

101 

100 

747 

877 

747 

877 

201 

100 

42 

103 

100 

103 

100 

416 

400 

405 

400 

105 

100 

101 

100 

100 

100 

200 

200 

400 

200 

101 

100 

104 

100 

350 

185 

827 

417 

250 

120 

144 

200 

438 

101 

47 

49 

22 

200 

162 

395 

305 

120 

120 

126 

200 

674 

100 

75 

43 

42 

350 

140 

827 

- 

29 

22 

200 

117 

395 

- 

17 

120 

120 

92 

92 

100 

100 

- 

97 

43 

39 

- 

95 

71 

30 

50 

100 

100 

50 

50 

50 

50 

50 

200 

200 

50 

50 

50 

100 

100 

50 

50 

100 

209 

200 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Cyprus 
Czech 
Republic 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

AT 

BE 

BG 

CY 

CZ 

DK 

EE 

FI 

FR 

DE 

EL 

HU 

IE 

IT 

LV 

LT 

LU 

MT 

C 

N 

B 

C 

C 

N 

C 

A 

B 

N 

A 

C 

C 

A 

N 

C 

C 

N 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

L 

L 

S 

S 

S 

L 

S 

S 

S 

S 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

9 

"National  monitoring  systems"  are  permitted  by  the  Directive  so  long  as  it  gives  results  of  an  equal 
confidence to EN 14274. 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
                                                 
FQMS 
Model 
(1) 

Size 
(2) 

Separa
te 
S&W? 
(3) 

Samples 
per 
grade 
per 
period 
(4) 

Total 
samples 
required 
(5) 

Samples 
Taken (6) 

Samples 
Taken at 
Service 
Stations (7) 

Pet.  Dsl. 

Pet. 

Dsl. 

Pet. 

Dsl. 

NL 

PL 

PT 

RO 

SK 

SI 

ES 

SE 

UK 

A 

B 

N 

B 

C 

C 

N 

N 

N 

S 

L 

S 

S 

S 

S 

L 

S 

L 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

50 

200 

100 

100 

50 

50 

200 

100 

200 

100 

100 

408 

400 

209 

200 

400 

200 

101 

100 

103 

100 

409 

400 

203 

200 

100 

291 

236 

360 

168 

149 

520 

553 

100 

229 

118 

210 

137 

181 

264 

620 

404 

400 

2195 

2428 

100 

291 

200 

360 

168 

145 

- 

- 

- 

100 

229 

100 

210 

137 

115 

- 

- 

- 

MS 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

UK 

6. COMPLIANCE WITH DIRECTIVE 98/70/EC IN 2010 

6.1 Petrol  

In  2010,  most  Member  States  provided  full  information  about  petrol  sample  compliance.  In 
order to determine  compliance, it  is  necessary to  know  which  test  method  has  been  used  to 
test for some parameters (because reproducibility and tolerance levels differ according to test 
method).  Provision  has  been  made  for  Member  States  to  give  this  information  within  the 
reporting  template  –  although  this  is  not  a  mandatory  part  of  the  reporting  it  is  vital  to 
determine compliance levels. In 2010 11,531 samples were collected for petrol and 13,391 for 
diesel. 

The  parameters  found  to  be  out  of  specification  most  frequently  within  the  Union  in  2010 
were: 

• 

• 

• 

Summer  vapour  pressure  was  exceeded  215  times  in  2010  or  1.85%  of  the  total 
samples.  However  it  is  becoming  apparent  that  many  exceedences  are  the  result  of 
transitional  fuels  when  suppliers  swap  the  summer  specification  fuel  for  winter 
specification fuels and vice versa. 

RON/ MON samples found to be out of specification in 2010 totalled 59 samples or 
0.5 % of the total samples. 

The sulphur content maximum of 10ppm was exceeded in 34 samples or 0. 29 % of 
the  total  samples,  with  the  highest  sample  value  being  45.9  mg/kg.  However  the 
average sulphur content for all Member States remains below the mandatory limit of 
10ppm at 5.8 ppm. 

The Netherlands has not provided full details of samples found to be out of compliance with 
the tolerance limits and Germany was unable to provide the details of some non-compliance 
for RON 91 petrol. 

EN 

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6.2 Diesel  

In  2010,  only  two  Member  State  did  not  provide  details  of  samples  found  to  be  out  of 
specification for diesel (Latvia and the Netherlands – where at least one fuel sample tested in 
each  Member  State  exceeded  tolerance  limits).  Of  the  five  parameters  tested  for  diesel  in 
2010, the following were found to be out of specification: 

• 

In  spite  of  the  average  EU  sulphur  content  remaining  below  the  mandatory  10ppm 
limit – at 6.5 ppm,- there were 169 samples or 1.26 % of the total samples found to 
be non-compliant with extreme values of: 

–  a  maximum  value  of  500  mg/kg  in  Bulgaria  (where  the  supplier  was  fined  as  a 

result of the non-compliant fuel sample) 

–  One  or  more  samples  in  Poland  were  found  to  be  out  of  compliance  –  with  a 
maximum sulphur content value of 455 mg/kg. In Poland, where fuel was found 
to  have  extremely  high  sulphur  content,  it  was  withdrawn  from  the  market.  The 
Polish  authorities  also  notified  the  Office  of  Fiscal  Control  and  Customs  Board 
and  the  Regional  Inspectorate  of  Environment  Protection  of  the  non-compliant 
fuel. 

–  294 mg/kg in Romania (no details of action taken has been provided) and; 

–  94.2 mg/kg in Cyprus - where contamination at the service station was found to be 
as a result of mixing automotive diesel with heating diesel. Penal prosecution was 
instigated against the petrol station. 

• 

• 

A total of 38 samples exceeded distillation limits in 2010. 

In total, 4 samples tested for cetane number were found to be out of specification.  

6.3 Summary 

Table  5  summarises  the  compliance  of  Member  States  with  Directive  98/70/EC  for  2010 
reporting in terms of the results of the analysis of samples against Tolerance Limits and the 
reporting  format  and  content.  Amendments  to  Directive  98/70/EC  (Directive  2003/17/EC) 
included  the  insertion  of  a  paragraph  stating  “Member  States  shall  determine  the  penalties 
applicable  to  breaches  of  the  national  provisions  adopted  pursuant  to  this  Directive.  The 
penalties determined must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.” 

Some  Member  States  have  provided  an  explanation  of  the  remedial  actions  and  penalties 
imposed by national authorities where samples are found to be out of specification.  

In  general,  of  the  11,531  samples  tested  for  petrol  in  2010,  411  were  found  to  be  out  of 
specification  with  tolerance  limits  for  one  or  more  parameter  –  which  represents  a  non-
compliance  rate  of  3.6%.  Of  the  13,391samples  tested  for  the  5  mandatory  parameters  for 
diesel in 2010, 211 were found to be non-compliant with specified limits – representing 1.6% 
of all samples reported. 

The proportion of samples found to be out of specification is reliant on the number of samples 
taken – which should be dependant (within each Member State) on the fuel sales volume, and 
supply  sources.  However,  with  Member  States  using  national  monitoring  systems  that  may 
not  be  equivalent  to  EN  14274,  it  is  necessary  to  also  consider  non-compliance  within  the 
Union  weighted  by  volume  and  by  sample  numbers.  Figure  3  gives  the  rate  of  non-

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
compliance  weighted  according  to  sales  volume  and  sample  numbers  and  shows  an  upward 
trend to 2010.  

Figure  3:  Temporal  trends  in  total  limit  value  non-compliances  for  petrol  and  diesel 
fuels 

d
e
t
h
g
i
e
w
%
a

s
a

e
c
n
a
i
l
p
m
o
c
-
n
o
N

e
m
u
l
o
v

s
e
l
a
s

l
e
u
f

y
b

Diesel 

Petrol 

Year 

*Excludes France in 2003 - 2005, as no submissions were provided. Excludes Luxembourg in 2007 to 2009 and 
Malta in 2006 and 2009 as no reports were provided. 

Table 5: Summary of Member State compliance with 98/70/EC for 2010 reporting. 

MS  

Non-compliance with limit values  
non-compliant samples (NC) / total 
samples 
(1) 

Petrol 

Diesel 

Incomplete reporting  
parameters not measured (NM) / total 

Late report

(2) 

(3) 

Petrol 

Diesel 

NC 

6 

Total 

203 

NC 

3 

103 

2133 

39 

41 

>61 

0 

17 

0 

56 

>7 

0 

0 

427 

293 

747 

42 

350 

185 

827 

417 

250 

120 

79 

56 

1 

29 

0 

3 

1 

10 

1 

0 

0 

Total 

NM 

Total 

NM 

Total 

(months) 

100 

4985 

468 

167 

877 

22 

200 

162 

395 

305 

120 

120 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

<1 

On time 

On time 

<1 

On time 

On time 

On time 

On time 

On time 

<4 

<1 

On time 

AT 

BE 

BG 

CY 

CZ 

DK 

EE 

FI 

FR 

DE 

EL 

HU 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS  

Non-compliance with limit values  
non-compliant samples (NC) / total 
samples 
(1) 

Petrol 

Diesel 

Incomplete reporting  
parameters not measured (NM) / total 

Late report

(2) 

(3) 

Petrol 

Diesel 

Total 

NC 

Total 

NM 

Total 

NM 

Total 

(months) 

NC 

15 

2 

0 

0 

7 

2 

>2 

15 

29 

>5 

0 

0 

6 

0 

5 

IE 

IT 

LV 

LT 

LU 

MT 

NL 

PL 

PT 

RO 

SK 

SI 

ES 

SE 

UK 

No. Countries 

144 

200 

438 

101 

47 

49 

100 

291 

236 

360 

168 

149 

520 

553 

2195 

18 

1 

0 

0 

>1 

0 

3 

>1 

3 

8 

11 

7 

0 

0 

0 

0 

126 

200 

674 

100 

75 

43 

100 

229 

118 

210 

137 

181 

264 

620 

2428 

18 

0 

1 

0 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

2 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

18 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

5 

1 

Explanatory notes 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

On time 

<1 

On time 

On time 

<1 

On time 

<5 

On time 

<1 

<1 

On time 

On time 

<2 

On time 

On time 

10 

# 

(1) 

Column 

Non-compliance with limit 
values 

(95% confidence limits) 

(2) 

Incomplete reporting 

(3) 

Late report 

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. 

Some  parameters  may  be  sampled  in  smaller  quantities,  however  all 
parameters  should  be  sampled  to  accurately  assess  fuel  quality. 
Member  States  should  make  it  clear  when  sample  results  have  been 
obtained and provide sample results. 

Directive  98/70/EC  states 
monitoring reports by no later than 30 June each year 

that  Member  States  should  submit 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
7. 

CONCLUSIONS  

Fuel quality has a strong link to both CO2 and air quality emissions, as well as the ease and 
cost  with  which  pollutant  and  greenhouse  gas  emission  limits  can  be  achieved  by  vehicle 
manufacturers.  

The monitoring of fuel quality in 2010 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 
progressive  adoption  of  standard  EN  14274  by  Member  States  is  leading  to  greater 
consistency  in  the  data  available  for  assessment  of  the  various  fuel  quality  parameters  and 
Member  States  have  been  making  efforts  to  improve  their  understanding  of  reporting 
requirements. 

As  exceedances  are  relatively  rare  and  most  Member  States  take  action  to  remove  non-
compliant  fuel  from  sale,  the  Commission  is  not  aware  of  any  negative  repercussions  on 
vehicle emissions or engine functioning due to these exceedances. However, the Commission 
urges  Member  States  to  continue  to  take  action  to  ensure  full  compliance  so  that  such 
problems do not arise in the future and to ensure that report are submitted to the Commission 
within the requested deadlines. 

EN 

13 

   EN