Pollution atmosphérique : l'UE renforce les limites pour les poids lourds [en] 

Fuel exhausts impact upon air quality and human health, especially in urban areas where traffic is dense. To reduce their impact, the EU has adopted legislation to impose stricter emissions caps on both diesel and petrol cars, in particular to limit nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), which pose the most serious health problems. 

Different standards apply for passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks or buses.

In December 2007, the European Commission proposed to reduce emissions from heavy-duty trucks and buses by 80% for NOx and 66% for PM compared to the current Euro V standard caps on pollutant emissions.

The Euro standards are part of a broader EU strategy on clean air, which aims to reduce illness and related health costs, like premature deaths related to pollutant emissions.

The European Parliament voted in favour of tougher limits on harmful exhaust emissions from trucks, lorries and buses during its plenary session of 16 December 2008.

The new 'Euro VI' regulation lays down harmonised technical rules, which all new heavy vehicles (over 2,610 kg) will have to comply with to get market approval. 

The text adopted by the House is a compromise agreed between Parliament and Council representatives in November. It backs the European Commission's original proposals for cuts in nitrogen oxides and particle matter. The Parliament's environment committee earlier in the summer backed slightly lower targets, but called for their earlier entry into force (EurActiv 17/07/08).   

The new 'Euro VI' emission limits, which will replace the current 'Euro V' emission limits in place since October 2008, will apply to new heavy goods vehicles as of 1 January 2014, nine months earlier than the Commission had originally proposed. 

The International Road Transport Union (IRU) generally reacted positively to Euro standards, describing them as a good means of controlling pollutant emissions. "Our members are ready to get cleaner vehicles once they are on th emarket," said IRU's European delegate Michael Nielsen, adding that financial incentives for industry could speed up the fleet renewal.

Parliament's draftsman, German Socialist MEP Matthias Groote, described the package as "a good compromise" and "an important instrument" to achieve better air quality.

Environmental NGOs, namely the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Transport and Environment (T&E), welcomed the adoption of the Regulation setting air pollution limits for new lorries and buses sold in Europe from 2012-13. 

However, "lorries have a nasty habit of looking a lot cleaner in the testing laboratory than in the real world. Close monitoring will be needed to ensure nitrogen oxides and other harmful emissions really go down," warned T&E Director Jos Dings. 

"Member states should back the early introduction of Euro VI vehicles and retrofitting of existing vehicles with financial incentives" to help local authorities improve urban air quality and the quality of life of European citizens, said EEB policy officer Dragomira Raeva. However, Euro standards alone are not enough to meet urban air-quality targets and local authorities will need to "support the introduction of clean vehicle technology and adopt wider mobility management practices, such as the designation of low emission zones in the cities," she added.