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

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Bernd LANGE (PES, Germany) by 458 votes in favour, 2 against and 7 abstentions on widening the scope of a draft directive amending existing legislation on the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal combustion engines on non-road mobile machinery. The amendments expand EU proposals to curb emissions of fumes from agricultural engines (except tractors), cranes and bulldozers to include rail stock (especially train engines) and boats on inland waterways. The compromise between Parliament and Council provides for a gradual reduction in NOx emissions until 2014. This will oblige industry, in the medium term, to introduce particle filters. The demands for boats on inland waterways will be less strict, as will the emission limits for locomotives. The Commission must, before 31 December 2007, re-assess its non-road emission inventory estimates and specifically examine potential cross-checks and correction factors. For engine types or engine families meeting the limit values, Member States should allow special labelling and marking to show that the equipment concerned meets the required limit values before the dates laid down. Parliament also introduced a flexibility scheme. This means that the procedure allows an engine manufacturer to place on the market, during the period between two successive stages of limit values, a limited number of engines, to be installed in non-road mobile machinery, that only comply with the previous stage of emission limit values. The legislation does not apply to machinery already in use even when the engines must be replaced.�