Pending the opinion of the European Parliament, the European Environment Council held a policy debate last week on a proposal for a Regulation on type-approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions and on access to vehicle repair information, amending Directives 72/306/EEC and Directive EC (EURO 5) (5163/06).

The proposal establishes requirements for the type approval of motor vehicles and replacement parts, such as replacement catalytic converters, with regard to their emissions. In addition it lays down rules for the in-use compliance durability of anti-pollution devices, on-board diagnostic systems, measurement of fuel consumption and accessibility of vehicles repair information. The emission limits for particulate matter foreseen by the proposal would require the installation of particulate filters in diesel cars.

The debate covered, in particular, whether the new (Euro 5) Regulation should provide a longer-term perspective and therefore already include a second stage of significantly lower emission limits, in particular with regard to NOx emissions.

A majority of the delegations present was in favour of inserting long term limits into the present proposal, buthe European Commission responded that any further limits should be technologically and economically feasible, and might require a specific impact assessment.