Air pollution: measures to be taken against emission of gaseous pollutants from internal combustion engines

PREVIOUS LEGISLATION ONT THE EC: Council Directive 77/537/EEC of 28 June 1977 relates to the measures to be taken against the emission of pollutants from diesel engines for use in wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors (OJ L 220 of 29.08.77). Purpose was to lay down requirements to the type approval of such vehicles, and, to fix permissible values for the fumes and deter-mine materials, conditions and methods for measuring levels of the fumes. The Directive applies only to tractors which are fitted with pneumatic tyres and which have two axles and a maximum design speed between 6 and 25 kilometres per hour. Council Directive 82/890/EEC of 17 December 1982 amends 17 Directives on the appro-xi-ma-tion of the laws of the Member States relating to wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors (OJ L 378 of 31.12.82). PREVIOUS POSITION OF THE EP: In the resolution embodying the opinion of the EP on the proposal from the Commission (OJ No C 10, 15.01.1976, p. 2 for Directive 77/537/EEC, the EP urged the Commission and the Council to replace as speedily as possible the system of optional harmonization by standard Community legislation in all Member States. In the resolution closing the procedure for consultation of the EP on the proposal from the Commission (COM(81) 733 final; OJ No C 346, 13.12.81, p. 7) to the Council for Direc-tive 82/890/EEC, the EP recommended an increase in the proposed maximum design speed for agri-cul-tural tractors to make a larger number of tractors eligible for the EEC type-approval procedure: at the same time called attention to the fact that there is disagreement among the Member States as to whether this maximum speed should be increased to 30 or 32 to 33 km/h. SITUATION IN THE MEMBER STATES: According to the 11th report of the Commission on the Application of EU-law - COM(500)final of 29.03.94 - all Member States have communicated their national laws to the Commission.