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: Tenth annual report (Reporting year 2011)
Date: 2013-06-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: air quality, diesel fuel, petrol, product quality, report, road transport, sampling

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 26.6.2013  
COM(2013) 458 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: Tenth 
annual report  
(Reporting year 2011) 

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: Tenth 
annual report  
(Reporting year 2011) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION  

This  report  represents  a  consolidation  of  the  eleventh  year  of  Member  States’  submissions 
under Directive 98/70/EC1 (the “Directive”), summarising the quality of petrol and diesel in 
the  EU  for  2011.  Specifications  for  petrol  and  diesel  sold  in  the  EU  are  included  in  the 
Directive: the first entered into force on 1 January 2000; the second on 1 January 2005 and the 
third on 1 January 2009 which limited the sulphur content of all automotive road fuels in the 
EU to 10 ppm. Additional requirements are defined in the European Standard for fuel quality 
monitoring  systems  (“FQMS”),  EN  14274:2003,  required  from  2004  under  Directive 
2003/17/EC. Member States were required under the Directive to report for the first time by 
30 June 2002 for the preceding calendar year (i.e. 2001).  

The  Directive  also  stipulates  that  Member  States  are  required  to  report  summaries  of  the 
quality of fuels sold in their territories. The original reporting format for this was laid out in 
Commission Decision 2002/159/EC of 18 February 20022. The requirements of the Directive 
have changed with the introduction of new fuel specifications and reporting requirements. All 
Member States receive an annually updated reporting template in order to ensure inclusion of 
all  pertinent  details  to  enable  European  wide  analysis  and  comparison  of  Fuel  Quality 
Monitoring results. This template follows the reporting requirements outlined in Commission 
Decision 2002/159/EC and is reviewed and agreed annually by the Commission. In 2011, all 
Member  States  have  complied  with  the  fuel  specifications  that  require  road  fuels  to  contain 
less than 10ppm sulphur content. In addition, Member States have begun to report fuels with 
added  ethanol,  which  is  a  mandatory  reporting  requirement  from  1  January  2011  under 
Directive amendment 2009/30/EC. 

Two  Member  States  (Poland  and  Germany)  did  not  submit  their  report  in  the  template 
provided. The Netherlands did not use the template in their original submission but transposed 
it  when  requested.  Of  the  27  annual  FQMS  reports,  21  were  received  within  the  reporting 
deadline of 30 June, 4 were received less than one month late with two reports submitted on 
time but requiring transposition into the standard template. There is a clear improvement on 
the submissions of reports received within the deadline compared with 2010 and 2009. 

2. 

FUEL SALES IN EUROPE 

Fuel sales in the EU in 2011 were heavily weighted toward diesel with 245,227 million litres 
of diesel fuel sales compared to 116,893 million litres of combined petrol grade fuel sales.  

1 
2 

O.J. L 350 of 28.12.1998, p. 58 
O.J. L 53 of 23.2.2002, p.30 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
                                                 
In petrol fuel grades, RON 91 continues to lose its market share and currently is only sold in 
small  amounts  with  2011  sales  of  645  million  litres.  RON  98  totalled  9,196  million  litres 
whilst  RON  95  represented  the  majority  of  petrol  fuel  sales  with  107,052  million  litres.  In 
diesel,  the  B7  grade  represented  the  majority  of  sales  with  121,545  million  litres  sold.  B5 
diesel  and  diesel  sold  around  half  as  much  each  (64,523  and  58,498  million  litres 
respectively). Figure 1 below illustrates the different sales of different fuels across Europe by 
type. 

Figure 1: EU fuel sales by fuel type in 2011 

Petrol 

Diesel 

  0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000  

Million Litres 

Unleaded Petrol < 10 ppm S 

Diesel < 10ppm S 

    Min. RON=91  

  Min. RON=95  

RON 95=<RON<98  

RON>=98  

  Diesel 

    Min. RON=91 E5 

  Min. RON=95 E5 

RON 95=<RON<98 E5 

RON>=98 E5 

  Diesel B5 

    Min. RON=91 E10 

  Min. RON=95 E10 

RON 95=<RON<98 E10 

RON>=98 E10 

  Diesel B7 

    Min. RON=91 E+ 

  Min. RON=95 E+ 

RON 95=<RON<98 E+ 

RON>=98 E+ 

  Diesel B+ 

Total EU fuel sales in 2011 and previous years are illustrated in figure 2. 

Fuel sales in 2011 remained similar to sales in 2010, with a decrease in both petrol (reduction 
of 4,338 million litres) and diesel (reduction of 1,614 million litres) fuel sales resulting in an 
overall total decrease of 5,952 million litres of automotive road fuels sold. 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2: Volume of fuels sold in the EU type from 2001 – 2011  

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

r
a
e
Y

245,227

246,841

239,895

244,840

243,343

233,548

219,693

214,062

116,893

121,231

127,948

132,763

138,661

143,284

147,344

154,128

143,414

146,403

144,964

185,629

180,863

181,506

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Million Litres 

  Diesel 

  Petrol 

* 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. In addition, the EU expanded in 2004, 2007 from 15 to 27 Member States. 

3. 

FUEL AVAILABILITY 2011 

One of the main facts of 2011 is that RON 91 has almost disappeared from the market and is 
with sales in only 4 countries totalling 645 million litres. Table 1 illustrates the distribution 
and quantities of fuels sold across the EU 27 by Member State and fuel type. 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table1: 2011 EU27 Fuel Sales by type 

Petrol Sales 

(million litres) 

Diesel Sales 

(million litres) 

min. 
RON=91 

min. 
RON=95 

min. 
RON=98 

RON ≥98 

Total Petrol  Total Diesel 

48  

-  

-  

-  

30  

390  

-  

-  

-  

- 

2,274 

1,405 

763 

473 

2,342 

1,596 

387 

1,035 

8,397 

- 

3 

- 

- 

2 

20 

- 

- 

177  

- 

23,100 

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

-  

4,268 

1,651 

1,856 

11,678 

- 

336 

378 

- 

5,625 

4,964 

- 

- 

706 

- 

- 

4,223 

18,157 

90 

- 

- 

- 

310 

- 

- 

99 

71 

- 

1,538 

1,748 

- 

83 

6,559 

152 

763 

56 

355 

39 

38 

39 

- 

- 

1,127 

1,988 

3,261 

143 

42 

- 

- 

24 

7 

92 

- 

- 

412 

139 

161 

12 

653 

608 

- 

- 

2,378 

1,760 

805 

511 

2,411 

1,988 

407 

2,162 

10,385 

26,538 

4,501 

1,693 

1,856 

7,248 

8,738 

2,184 

391 

4,820 

3,249 

678 

2,872 

40,327 

39,417 

2,628 

3,293 

2,675 

11,678 

30,231 

334 

343 

470 

99 

5,696 

5,376 

1,677 

1,909 

718 

736 

7,167 

4,375 

18,920 

807 

1,225 

2,054 

105 

7,783 

14,905 

5,505 

4,149 

1,263 

1,580 

26,712 

5,324 

25,064 

Fuel Type 

Member State 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Cyprus 

Czech Republic 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy1 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

UK 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
1:  The  data  provided  by  Italy  show  the  same  value  as  reported  2010  which  may  lead  to  questions  as  to  their 
accuracy. 

Some general considerations can be noted:  

• 

• 

• 

• 

Diesel  dominates  the  market  in  all  but  two  of  the  Member  States  with  petrol 
representing 63.1% share of Greek fuel sales and 56.6% of Cypriot fuel sales. 

Belgium,  on  the  other  hand,  demonstrates  the  heaviest  dependence  on  diesel  fuel 
with  diesel  dominating  Belgian  fuel  sales  with  83.2%  share  of  the  market  –  the 
highest proportion of all the Member States.  

The  greatest  volume  of  fuel  sales  in  2011  took  place  in  Germany,  with  a  total  of 
18.2% fuel sales and a national mix of petrol/diesel, of 40.2% of petrol fuel sales and 
59.8%  of  diesel  fuel  sales.  The  next  biggest  market  in  the  EU  was  France  with  a 
14.0% share of fuel sales and with a national mix of petrol/diesel sales of 20.5% and 
79.5% respectively, the third biggest EU market was the UK with sales that totalled 
12.1% of the fuels sold in the EU, with a country mix of 43% petrol and 57% diesel. 

There is still a low market penetration of E10, with only three countries (Germany, 
France and Finland) currently selling it.  

4. 

FUEL QUALITY MONITORING 2011  

4.1. 

Description of systems used by different Member States 

A  number  of  different  approaches  have  been  used  to  implement  FQMS  across  the  EU, 
although consistency between Member States has improved slightly year on year. Approaches 
range from those based on European Standard EN 142743, with sampling at a range of fuel 
retail stations, through to national systems.  

Alternative  monitoring  systems  may  be  permitted  by  the  Directive,  provided  such  systems 
ensure  the  results  are  of  an  equivalent  confidence  to  EN  14274,  although  the  criteria  for 
assessing this are not specified. It is therefore not clear whether the existing systems not based 
on EN 14274 meet this criterion.  

In  2011,  the  majority  of  Member  States  have  provided  additional  information  about  their 
selection of monitoring system (if using a statistical model from EN 14274) or have provided 
information about the selection of a National monitoring system.  

Of the 27 Member State Fuel Quality Monitoring Systems used in 2011: 

• 

• 

3 

5 have opted to use EN 14274 statistical model A (Austria, Finland, Greece, Italy and 
Spain) 

5 have used EN 14274 statistical model B (France, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria and 
Romania) 

EN 14274:2003 - Automotive fuels - Assessment of petrol and diesel quality - Fuel Quality Monitoring 
System (FQMS). 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
                                                 
• 

• 

9  have  opted  for  EN  14274  statistical  model  C  (Ireland,  Portugal,  Cyprus,  Czech 
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and; 

the remaining 8 have used a national monitoring system 

4.2. 

Sampling and reporting 

One  of  the  key  points  in  the  measurement  of  the  fuel  quality  is  the  how  fuels  are  sampled. 
This sampling must done in accordance with requirements laid down in EN 14274. 

This  standard  indicates  the  number  and  location  of  samples  to  be  taken  and  reported  in 
Member  States’  fuel  quality  reports.  The  standard  also  specifies  the  minimum  number  of 
samples  per  fuel  grade  in  each  of  the  winter  and  summer  periods.  Table  2  provides  a 
breakdown of individual Member States’ sampling and reporting in 2011. The total minimum 
samples  required  is  calculated  where  the  Member  State  has  used  a  statistical  model  as 
outlined  in  EN  14274  such  that  the  minimum  sample  requirement  is  known  for  each  model 
(A, B and C).  

Table  2  also  provides  a  breakdown  of  the  total  sample  numbers  taken  and  the  sampling 
carried  out  at  service  stations.  All  Member  States  provided  this  breakdown  in  2011,  apart 
from Germany. Germany provided results from sampling under two separate methodologies, 
but  did  not  indicate  the  total  number  of  samples  taken  (as  some  samples  were  tested  using 
both methodologies, others only one), and it is therefore not possible to determine compliance 
with  sample  quantities.  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. 

There  is  a  positive  change  in  2011  in  the  Member  States  in  the  improvement  of  the  FQMS 
and their sample processes like, for example, Denmark which is implementing a new system 
to be in conformity the requirements of the Directive. 

Non-compliance of individual sample tests with petrol fuel standard EN 228 have decreased 
in 2011 compared to 2010, with non-compliance for diesel against EN 590 also decreasing in 
2011. The full report can be found in EU Fuel Quality Monitoring – 2011 Summary Report - 
Final  report to the  European Commission  DG  Climate  Action, available  on the webpage of 
DG Climate Action.  

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table  2:  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) 

Si
ze 
(2
) 

Separ
ate 
S&W
? (3) 

Samples 
per grade 
per 
period (4) 

MS 

Total 
samples 
required 
(5) 

Samples 
Taken (6) 

Samples 
Taken at 
Service 
Stations (7) 

Sampling 
Complian
ce (8) 

Pet
. 

Dsl.  Pet.  Dsl. 

Pet. 

Dsl.  Pet.  Dsl. 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Cyprus 

Czech 
Republic 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands 

A
T 

B
E 

B
G 

C
Y 

C
Z 

D
K 

E
E 

F
I 

F
R 

D
E 

E
L 

H
U 

I
E 

I
T 

L
V 

L
T 

L
U 

M
T 

N
L 

A 

N 

B 

C 

C 

N 

C 

A 

B 

B 

A 

C 

C 

A 

N 

C 

N 

N 

N 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

L 

L 

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) 

50 

104  100 

153 

150 

153 

150  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(50) 

(20
0) 

(10
0) 

200
6 

5325 

2006  5325 

((cid:57)) 

((cid:57)) 

100 

410  200 

473 

496 

461 

482  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

50 

50 

(50) 

50 

50 

108  100 

233 

140 

233 

140  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

102  104 

944 

955 

944  1015  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(20
0) 

(10
0) 

41 

21 

41 

9 

(×) 

(×) 

104  100 

350 

210 

350 

210  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

200  100 

224 

126 

224 

126  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

200 

800  400 

487 

420 

395 

420 

× 

(cid:57) 

200 

802  400 

520 

363 

0 

0 

× 

50 

50 

50 

106  100 

112 

100 

33 

20 

× 

102  100 

120 

120 

120 

120  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

100  100 

149 

136 

94 

97 

× 

× 

× 

× 

L 

(cid:57) 

100 

200  200 

200 

200 

200 

200  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(50) 

(10
8) 

(20
0) 

202 

307 

173 

160 

((cid:57)) 

((cid:57)) 

50 

102  100 

104 

100 

92 

91 

× 

× 

(50) 

(50) 

(50) 

(20
0) 

(10
0) 

(10
0) 

(10
0) 

(10
0) 

(10
0) 

89 

98 

81 

98 

(×) 

(×) 

32 

27 

21 

18 

(×) 

(×) 

100 

100 

100 

100 

((cid:57)) 

((cid:57)) 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
 
FQMS 
Model 
(1) 

Si
ze 
(2
) 

Separ
ate 
S&W
? (3) 

Samples 
per grade 
per 
period (4) 

MS 

Total 
samples 
required 
(5) 

Samples 
Taken (6) 

Samples 
Taken at 
Service 
Stations (7) 

Sampling 
Complian
ce (8) 

Pet
. 

Dsl.  Pet.  Dsl. 

Pet. 

Dsl.  Pet.  Dsl. 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

UK 

P
L 

P
T 

R
O 

S
K 

S
I 

E
S 

S
E 

U
K 

B 

C 

B 

C 

C 

A 

N 

N 

S 

S 

S 

S 

S 

L 

S 

L 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

200 

216  206 

265 

295 

265 

295  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

50 

108  100 

254 

122 

200 

100  (cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

100 

50 

50 

100 

(50) 

(100) 

216  200 

224 

222 

224 

222 

102  100 

155 

123 

155 

123 

200  100 

145 

178 

142 

115 

216  200 

634 

330 

(10
4) 

(20
8) 

(10
0) 

(20
0) 

672 

756 

136

0 

0 

0 

0 

9  2298 

68 

65 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

(cid:57) 

× 

× 

(cid:57) 

× 

(×) 

(×) 

(×) 

(×) 

# 

Column 

Explanatory notes 

(1) 

FQMS 
Model 

N = National Fuel Quality Monitoring System (FQMS) 

A = EN 14274 Statistical Model A 

B = EN 14274 Statistical Model B 

C = EN 14274 Statistical Model C 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

Size 
Country 
size 

– 

S = Small (total automotive road fuel sales < 15 million tonnes pa) 

L = Large (total automotive road fuel sales > 15 million tonnes pa) 

Separate  S 
& W? 

(cid:51)  Separate  summer  &  winter  reporting  (cid:50)  indicates  full  year  sample  results  reporting 
only.  

Samples 
per 
per period 

grade 

EN 14274: There are reduced sampling requirements for grades comprising of less than 
10%  total  sale.  For  Member  States  using  a  national  FQMS,  estimated  equivalent 
minimum samples (based on fuel sales) are shown in brackets (). 

Total 
samples 
required 

Samples 
Taken 

Samples 
taken 
Service 
Stations 

Calculation  of  the  EN  14274  minimum  sample  total  required  according  to  FQM  model 
and country size. The minimum sample requirement is to be taken from the ‘point of use’ 
at fuel dispensing sites. For Member States using a national FQMS, estimated equivalent 
minimum samples (based on fuel sales) are shown in brackets (). 

The  total  number  of  samples  taken  per  fuel  type  at  all  locations  (service  stations, 
terminals and refineries). 

at 

The  total  number  of  samples  taken  at  service  stations;  fuel  dispensing  sites  (public  and 
commercial).  This  is  reported  separately  in  the  standard  reporting  template;  where 
samples  taken  at  service  stations  do  not  match  overall  samples  taken,  this  is  due  to 
differences  in  the  original  report  submission  (in  particular  France  and  the  Czech 
Republic, where samples taken at service stations is greater than samples taken). 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
 
(8) 

Sampling 
Compliance 

(cid:57)  indicates  compliance  with  EN  14274  Sampling  Number  requirement  and  ×  indicates 
non-compliance.  Note  that  this  indicates  overall  sampling  compliance  across  all  fuel 
grades;  see  Member  State  report  for  sampling  compliance  for  each  fuel  grade 
individually. Where a national FQM system is used, estimated compliance to demonstrate 
equivalence with EN14274 is shown in brackets (). 

Where  Member  States  have  not  provided  a  breakdown  of  sampling  location,  it  is  not 
possible to assess sampling compliance. 

Pet. 

Dsl 

Petrol 

Diesel 

5. 

COMPLIANCE WITH THE DIRECTIVE’S LIMIT VALUES 

5.1. 

Petrol reporting 

In  2011,  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.  

The parameters found to be out of specification most frequently within the EU in 2011 were: 

• 

• 

Summer Vapour Pressure was exceeded 106 times in 2011. However, it is becoming 
apparent that many exceedances are the result of transitional periods, when suppliers 
swap the summer specification fuel for winter specification fuel and vice versa. 

RON/MON samples found to be out of specification in 2011 totalled 38 samples. 

Some  Member  States  did  not  provide  full  details  of  samples  found  to  be  out  of  compliance 
with tolerance limits. 

5.2. 

Diesel reporting 

In  2011,  some  Member  States  did  not  provide  full  details  of  samples  found  to  be  out  of 
compliance with tolerance limits. Of the 6 parameters required to be tested for diesel in 2011, 
parameters found to be out of specification were: 

• 

• 

The  sulphur  content  maximum  of  10ppm  was  exceeded  by  a  total  of  126  samples. 
However  the  average  sulphur  content  for  all  Member  States  remains  below  the 
mandatory limit of 10ppm at 5.8 ppm. 

In total, 19 samples tested for distillation limits were found to be out of specification.  

5.3. 

Summary 

Table 3 summarises the compliance of Member States with the Directive for 2011 reporting in 
terms  of  the  results  of  the  analysis  of  samples  against  Tolerance  Limits  and  the  reporting 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
format and content. Amendments to the Directive 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.  These  and  other  notes  pertinent  to  the  Member  States’  monitoring 
systems  have  been  highlighted  in  and  also  given  in  more  detail  in  the  individual  Member 
State chapters of this report.  

In  general,  of  the  10,257  samples  tested  for  petrol  in  2011,  211  were  found  to  be  out  of 
specification  with  tolerance  limits  for  one  or  more  parameter,  which  represents  a  non-
compliance  rate  of  2.0%.  Of  the  13,718  samples  tested  for  the  6  mandatory  parameters  for 
diesel in 2011, 203 were found to be non-compliant with specified limits, representing 1.5% 
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  systems  that  may  not 
demonstrate  equivalence  with  statistical  models  A,  B  or  C  and  using  statistical  models  that 
may not be the most suitable, it is necessary to also consider non-compliances within the EU 
weighted by volume and by sample numbers. 

Table 3: Summary of Member State compliance for 2011 reporting 

 MS  

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

Incomplete reporting  
parameters not measured (NM) / total 

Late report

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Petrol 

Diesel 

Petrol 

Diesel 

AT 
BE 
BG 
CY 
CZ 
DK 
EE 
FI 
FR 
DE 
EL 
HU 
IE 
IT 
LV 
LT 
LU 
MT 
NL 
PL 

NC 
6 
70 
27 
21 
22 
0 
9 
1 
17 
3 
0 
4 
1 
0 
0 
0 
5 
5 
0 
5 

Total 
153 
2006 
473 
233 
944 
41 
350 
224 
487 
520 
112 
120 
149 
200 
202 
104 
89 
32 
100 
265 

NC 
8 
89 
19 
6 
19 
0 
0 
0 
39 
7 
0 
1 
1 
0 
0 
0 
1 
3 
0 
2 

Total 
150 
5325 
496 
140 
955 
21 
210 
126 
420 
363 
100 
120 
136 
200 
307 
100 
98 
27 
100 
295 

NM 
0 
1 
5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
1 
1 
1 
0 
7 
0 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

Total 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 

NM 
0 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
1 
2 

Total 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 

(months) 
< 1 month 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
<2 months 
< 1 month 
On time 
On time 
On time 
< 1 month 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 MS  

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

Incomplete reporting  
parameters not measured (NM) / total 

Late report

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Petrol 

Diesel 

Petrol 

Diesel 

NC 
5 
1 
3 
0 
0 
1 
5 

Total 
254 
224 
155 
145 
634 
672 
1369 

NC 
2 
0 
4 
2 
0 
0 
0 

Total 
122 
222 
123 
178 
330 
756 
2298 

NM 
0 
1 
1 
1 
0 
8 
0 

Total 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 
19 

NM 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
1 
0 

Total 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 
6 

PT 
RO 
SK 
SI 
ES 
SE 
UK 

No. Countries 

(months) 
On time 
On time 
On time 
On time 
< 1 month 
On time 
On time 

27 

(1) 

Non-compliance  with 
values 

limit 

(95% confidence limits) 

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) 

Incomplete reporting 

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. 

(3) 

Late report 

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

that  Member  States  should  submit 

Another  important  part  of  the  assessment  of  fuel  quality  that  is  put  on  the  market  in  each 
Member State is compliance with specific parameters that need to be checked. Currently there 
is a deviation in some Member States regarding this matter. In the full report for 2011 in the 
Table  relating  to  the  Summary  of  parameters  not  reported  by  Member  States  for  each  fuel 
grade, of the overall EU Fuel Quality Monitoring – 2011 Summary Report - Final report to 
the European Commission DG Climate Action, it is indicated, by Member State the number of 
parameters that are not measured. 

Even considering that this situation does not pose a problem for the assessment of the overall 
fuel quality in Europe, it is an area that needs to be improved in 2012. 

6. 

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.  

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The monitoring of fuel quality in 2011 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  revision  of  standard  EN  14274  will  provide  further  clarification  to  the  Member  States, 
which will lead to greater consistency in the data available for assessment of the various fuel 
quality parameters. 

There  is  also  a  recognized  will  by  the  Member  States  to  make  an  effort  to  improve  their 
understanding of reporting requirements and of their FQMS. 

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. 

EN 

13 

   EN