The Exhaust Emission Standards of the European Community

Uniform “harmonized” exhaust emission standards for passenger cars and light duty vehicles equipped with petrol engines have existed since 1970 in the European Community. Over the years these standards have been Lowered step-by-step in accordance with the technical progress. In June 1985 the Member States of the Community agreed by majority on a further decisive reduction of those standards.

As far as diesel-powered vehicles are concerned, the EC Commission proposed in June 1986 to complete the existing passenger car regulations by standards for particulate emissions.

The presentation describes the legal basis, the aims, the development and the rationale of the EEC exhaust emission regulations with particular regard to the equivalence of their environmental effect with that of the current US standards, taking account of the European conditions, in particular with regard to the composition of the car fleet and its operating characteristics.