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

The Committee welcomes the Commission proposal which aims at reducing the pollution caused by non-road machinery and underlines the fact that this is the first Directive proposed by the European Union to tackle this problem. The Committee however hopes that it will receive proposals for machinery which is not covered by this directive. Since the market for this kind of engine is immense and involves numerous applications, the Committee recognises that it is in the industry's interest for the sector to be regulated and harmonized with legislation in force in the USA as soon as possible, so that certificates are recognized in both areas. The Committee believes that the Commission should make moves to secure mutual recognition of the certificates issued by the USA's and EU's respective authorities. The Committee would encourage the use of alternative, environmentally friendly and biodegradable fuels, given that tests have shown that for every litre of eco-diesel consumed, 2.3 kg less of CO2 are discharged into the environment. Monitoring should be the responsibility of the authorities in the Member States who grant the approval concerned; they should also take measures to ensure that they are kept informed of any changes to the contents of an "approval" file; in addition, they should ensure that production conformity is actually checked.�