Cleaner Trucks and Buses Across Europe

Cleaner Trucks and Buses Across Europe

January 2008  - Emissions of nitrogen oxides 
and particulate matter from European trucks and buses will be sharply 
curtailed by new regulations proposed Friday by the European Commission, 
the executive branch of the European Union. 
The new standard will contribute to an improvement of air quality in 
Europe, the commission said Friday. It also will be a step forward towards 
global harmonization as it foresees limit values similar to those of the 
United States. 
Current legislation will be simplified. Directives, which need to be 
transposed in 27 different national legislations, will be replaced by 
regulations, which are directly applicable in all 27 EU member states. 
The new standard, called Euro VI, is expected to enter into force in 2013. 
The proposal has been subject to stakeholder and Internet consultations, 
and will now be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council of 
Ministers.

Commission Vice-President Gunter Verheugen, who is responsible for 
enterprise and industry, said, "More stringent emission limits will pave 
the way for cleaner trucks and buses. This is good for the health of our 
citizens and the environment. Industry gets a clear perspective and the 
time to prepare to produce clean, high quality vehicles without 
endangering its competitiveness." 
Member states and their citizens are concerned about the impacts of air 
pollution on human health and the environment, Verheugen said. Although 
air quality has improved over the past decade, air quality problems remain 
throughout the European Union, especially in urban areas and densely 
populated regions. 
To address this problem, the Euro VI proposal lays down common EU rules on 
pollutant emissions from heavy motor vehicles. The proposal foresees a 
reduction of 80 percent in nitrogen oxides and 66 percent in particulate 
matter emissions compared to the current Euro V stage limits. 
The commission has developed the proposal by following the principles of 
Better Regulation and the recommendations from the High Level Group for 
Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century. 
The feedback received in the public consultation has been fully taken into 
account; and the cost and benefit of different options have been evaluated 
in an impact assessment. 
The current directives will be repealed and will be replaced by directly 
applicable regulations, reducing the delays inherent in the transposition 
of directives; 
The EU says the proposal "leads to global harmonization in that it 
foresees limit values similar to those of the United States." 
In addition to more stringent limit values, the proposal introduces 
provisions on off cycle emissions, on-board diagnostics, access to repair 
information, durability of pollution control devices, replacement 
pollution control devices, conformity of in-service engines and vehicles, 
carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption measurement. 

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