Air pollution: compression ignition engines by non-road mobile machinery

PURPOSE : to amend Directive 97/68/EC in order to improve the future air quality situation.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Directive 2004/26/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 97/68/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery. (Corrigendum of the Regulation published in OJ L146 of 30 April 2004).

CONTENT : the Council adopted this Directive on measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines installed in non-road mobile machinery, following agreement with the European Parliament at first reading. As advanced technology to reduce emissions is already available to the non-road sector, this Directive extends Directive 97/68/EC, on emission limit values for compression ignition engines, to cover non-road mobile machinery such as railway and inland waterway engines.

This Directive states that in the scope of Directive 97/68/EC inland waterway vessel shall be included. This shall mean a vessel intended for use on inland waterways having a length of 20 metres or more and having a volume of 100 m3 or more or tugs or pusher craft having been built to tow or to push or to move alongside vessels of 20 metres or more.

Directive 97/68/EC implements two stages of emission limit values for compression ignition engines and calls on the Commission to propose a further reduction in emission limits, taking into account the global availability of techniques for controlling air polluting emissions from compression ignition engines and the air quality situation in the European Union.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 20/05/2004.

IMPLEMENTATION : 20/05/2005.