Sulphur-free fuels compulsory from 2009, December 2002

A meeting of the European Parliament and Council Conciliation Committee on 10 December 2002 agreed that sulphur-free petrol and diesel fuels should be available in the EU from January 2005 and that their use should be mandatory from 2009.

The agreement reached by the 30 participants was based on a proposal - published by the European Commission in May 2001 - to amend Directive 98/70/EC on the quality of petrol and diesel fuels. The January 2009 deadline is two years earlier than that suggested by the Commission.

The introduction of sulphur-free fuels is intended to help tackle air pollution in Europe, by enabling manufacturers of vehicles and mobile machinery to make better use of catalytic technology to reduce pollutant and particle emissions and to improve fuel efficiency. According to the European Commission:

'Sulphur in fuels can impair the effectiveness of several existing and emerging automotive technologies such as three-way catalytic converters, oxidation catalysts, NOx Storage Traps (NSTs) and particulate traps. Zero sulphur petrol will lead to an improvement in the fuel economy of post-2005 gasoline direct injection cars by 1-5% compared to similar vehicles using fuel containing a maximum of 50 ppm sulphur. Zero sulphur petrol will lead to lower emissions of conventional pollutants from the existing fleet of petrol vehicles.'

'Sulphur-free' or 'zero sulphur' petrol and diesel fuels are defined as those containing less than 10 parts per million (ppm) sulphur. Existing legislation sets the limit at 50 ppm.

The sulphur content level was one of the issues resolved by the Conciliation Committee; others concerned the timetable for introducing the legislation and the introduction of fiscal measures 'at the appropriate national or Community level' as incentives to introduce cleaner fuels.

The Finnish MEP Heidi Hautala was said to have gained a victory in persuading the Parliament and Council that the legislation should apply not only to road vehicles, but also to off-road vehicles and machinery, such as bulldozers and tractors. Although such vehicles account for only 8.5% of diesel consumption in the EU 'they have a major impact on health and the environment.'

The Conciliation Committee agreed that the 2009 deadline will also apply to off-road vehicles and machinery, 'subject to a review to be delivered by the Commission in 2005 in parallel with its submission of a proposal for the next stage of emissions standards for compression ignition engines in non-road applications.'

The Council press release says that Member States 'would be able to take more stringent measures concerning the quality of petrol marketed in specific areas to protect public health or the environment in a specific sensitive area or in a specific agglomeration if there is a risk of ground water pollution.'

European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström said the agreement 'is good news both for the environment and for health prospects in Europe. It paves the way for the introduction of clean fuels that will help to reduce air pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions.' The joint text still has to be adopted by both the Parliament and the Council. Parliament is expected to give the proposal a third reading early in 2003.

Links:

European Commission:
	11.12.02:	Commission hails final agreement by Council and European Parliament on introducing sulphur-free petrol and diesel fuels throughout the EU
	Proposal for a Directive ... on the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending Directive 98/70/EC (COM (2001) 241) [via Pre-Lex]
Council of the European Union:
	10.12.02:	Parliament-Council Conciliation Committee. Agreement on sulphur content in petrol and diesel fuels
European Parliament:
	11.12.02:	News Report

Eric Davies
KnowEurope Researcher
Compiled: Friday, 13 December 2002

Sulphur-free petrol and diesel fuels will be available in the EU from January 2005 and should be mandatory from 2009 following an agreement in the European Parliament and Council Conciliation Committee on 10 December 2002.