Air pollution: emissions of gaseous and particulate pollutants from diesel engines (amend. Direct. 88/77/EEC)

The amendments proposed by the Commission seek to complete the initial proposal. They concern measures relating to the introduction of a new design of enhanced environmentally friendly vehicles (EEV) and actions which may facilitate the approval of engines and vehicles which use ethanol as a replacement fuel. The Commission has defined the target emission values which it considers compatible with the description ?enhanced environmentally friendly vehicles?. Manufacturers who so wish may apply, on a voluntary basis, for their vehicles to be certified as enhanced environmentally friendly vehicles using the administrative procedures which already apply to heavy duty vehicles/engines for ?normal? heavy duty vehicles, as defined in the proposal. The procedures and the description ?enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle? will be independent of the type of fuel used and certain technical details of the standardised definition of reference natural gases applicable to tests of enhanced environmentally friendly vehicles/engines for enhanced environmentally friendly vehicles have been finalised. This proposal also lays down the scope of application of the tax incentives intended to encourage the use of vehicles which meet the description of ?enhanced environmentally friendly vehicles?. The proposed measures amend the previous proposal based on Article 100 A of the Treaty and are now based on Article 189 A (2) of the Treaty. Specifically, the proposal: - specifies that an engine which meets the target values laid down for enhanced environmentally-friendly vehicles is also considered to meet general approval requirements applicable from 1 October 2000; - allows Member States to make provision for tax incentives for vehicles which comply with general approval requirements before the compulsory date of application to all new engines and vehicles (1 October 2001) and for vehicles which comply with the target values applicable to enhanced ecologically friendly vehicles; - indicates that, in the analysis carried out by the Commission with a view to tightening emission standards still further, the Commission will also propose suitable limits for pollutants which still have not been regulated because of the widespread introduction of new replacement fuels.�