CELEX: 51995PC0540
Language: en
Date: 1995-11-10
Title: Amended proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive amending Directive 70/220/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures to be taken against air pollution from emissions from motor vehicles

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                       Brussels, 10.11.1995
                                       COM(95) 540 final
                                       94/0286 (COD)
                    Amended proposal for a
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
                   amending Directive 70/220/EEC
         on the approximation of the laws of the
     Member States relating to measures to be taken
against air pollution from emissions from motor vehicles
 (presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a (2)
                       of the EC-Treaty)
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                             EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
On 19 December 1994 the Commission sent to the European Parliament and the
Council a proposal for a Directive amending Directive 70/220/EEC relating to measures
to be taken against air pollution from emissions from motor vehicles. The aim of this
proposal is to "align" the limit values for this category of vehicles with those for
passenger cars laid down in Directive 94/12/EC in order to apply the same degree of
stringency to all categories of vehicle.
The European Parliament adopted the proposal                at  the   first reading    on
20 September 1995, subject to 18 amendments.
The Commission accepted four of these amendments designed to clarify the bases of
the proposal.
The Commission did not, however, accept the other amendments. These come into
the following categories:
        The amendments designed to make the limit values applicable to light
        commercial vehicles more stringent. These amendments go beyond the mere
        extension of the measures already adopted for passenger cars in
        Directive 94/1 2/EC, which is the purpose of this Directive. The measures
        enabling further progress to be made will be proposed in the context of a
        subsequent stage, which will correspond to the "Stage 2 0 0 0 " phase of
        emission reductions for passenger vehicles based, for its part, on the Auto/Oil
        programme.
        The amendment abolishing the additional period of one year for adaptation of
        low-powered vehicles. The vehicles in this category are subject to a special
        test procedure (sometimes called the "Panda" cycle) which will be discontinued
        in 1 997. An additional period is necessary to permit adaptation to the change
        of cycle and to more stringent limit values.
        The amendments designed to specify 31 December 1 995 as the final date for
        submission by the Commission of its proposals for "Stage 2 0 0 0 " . The date in
        Article 4 of the proposal, i.e. 30 June 1996, is more realistic.
        The amendments changing the specific rules on tax incentives. The proposed
        rules merely confirm those already adopted in the framework of
        Directive 94/12/EC on passenger cars, and it would not be appropriate to
        amend them in the context of this proposal. However, the situation will be
        reviewed on presentation of the proposals for reducing passenger car emissions
        from the year 2000, particularly in the light of the results of the Auto/Oil
        programme.
        The amendments concerning amalgamation of categories II and III for light
        commercial vehicles. The Commission examined this possibility when drawing
         up its proposal, but rejected it owing to the considerable technical differences
         between the vehicles of the t w o categories, which necessitate the application
         of separate limit values.
         Finally, the amendments concerning provisions not covered by this Directive,
         in particular those on inspection and maintenance of vehicles in service, the
 ---pagebreak---       granting of tax incentives to remove old vehicles from circulation and the
      application of emission standards to old vehicles from the year 2 0 0 0 .
The Commission therefore accepts Parliament's first four amendments to its proposal
and recommends that the Council follow suit so that a common posmon can be
adopted at the Council meetrng of Environment Mfnrsters on 1 8 / Î 9 December 1995.
 ---pagebreak---           Amended proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive
                 amending Directive 70/220/EEC on the approximation
                       of the laws of the Member States relating to
                         measures to be taken against air pollution
                              from emissions from motor vehicles
         COMMISSION TEXT m                                             AMENDMENTS
                                               Fourth recital
Whereas it is recognized that the                         Whereas it is recognized that the
development of transport in the                           development of transport in the
Community has entailed significant                        Community has entailed significant
constraints    for    the        environment;             constraints for the environment and it is
whereas a certain number of official                      also agreed that the future development
estimates of the increase in traffic                      QÎ transport will cause a further
density have proved to be lower than                      increase    in constraints     for   the
the actual figures; whereas for that                      environment:         whereas     official
reason stringent emission standards                       estimates of the increase in traffic
should be laid down for all motor                         density in the Community have so far
vehicles;                                                 proved to be lower than the actual
                                                          trend: whereas for that reason very
                                                          stringent emission standards should be
                                                          laid down for all motor vehicles;
                                                Fifth recital
Whereas the Commission has adopted                        Whereas the Commission has adopted
a European programme on emissions,                        a European programme on emissions,
fuels and engine technologies (EPEFE);                    fuels and engine technologies (EPEFE);
whereas      that     programme               was         whereas      that    programme      was
established to ensure that proposals for                  established to ensure that proposals for
future directives on pollutant emissions                  future directives on pollutant emissions
seek the best solutions both for the                      seek the best solutions for the
consumer and for the economy;                             environment, for the consumer and for
whereas that programme deals with the                     the economy; whereas that programme
pollution emitted by vehicles and the                     deals with the pollution emitted by
fuels which propel them;                                   motor vehicles and the fuels which
                                                           propel them;
m       OJ C 3 9 0 , 3 1 . 1 2 . 1 9 9 4 , p. 26.
 ---pagebreak---                               Seventh recital, last clause
Whereas it is necessary to align the            Whereas it is necessary to harmonize
standards for light commercial vehicles         the standards for tight commercial
with those for passenger cars so as to          vehicles with those for passenger cars
make them orme again at least as                so as to make them at least as
stringent as those for passenger cars;          stringent as those for passenger cars;
                                     Eighth recital
Whereas the work undertaken by the              Whereas the work undertaken by the
Commission in this field has shown that         Commission in this field has shown that
the best technology currently available         the best technology currently available
to the Community industry can be                to the Community industry can be
further improved in order to allow light        further improved in order to allow light
commercial vehicles to comply with              commercial vehicles to comply with
considerably reduced emission limits;           considerably reduced emission limits;
whereas the proposed standards will             whereas the same is true of other, new
apply both to the approval of new               technologies which are emerging:
vehicle types and to the check on               whereas the proposed standards will
conformity of production, since the             apply both to the approval of new
amended method of sampling and                  vehicle types and to the check on
statistical evaluation removes the              conformity of production, since the
tolerances allowed for the limit values         amended method of sampling and
set under previous stages of Directive          statistical evaluation removes the
70/220/EEC;                                     tolerances allowed for the limit values
                                                set    under    previous    stages    of
                                                Directive 70/220/EEC;
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                                                                     ISSN 0254-1475
                                                             COM(95) 540 final
                                              DOCUMENTS
EN                                                                        01 14
                                     Catalogue number : CB-CO-95-581-EN-C
                                                              ISBN 92-77-95528-7
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
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