(2004/C 78 E/0881)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3578/03

by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 December 2003)

Subject:   Environmentally friendly diesel fuel

GECAM is the name of a new diesel fuel developed and marketed by Cam-Technologies research teams at the beginning of 1997. By virtue of its particular composition, this environmentally friendly fuel cuts emissions of pollutants (fine particulates and nitrogen oxides). The advantage of GECAM is that sooting and fuel consumption are reduced through improved combustion due to its 10 % water content. Carbon dioxide emissions are some 5 % lower than with traditional diesel fuels, given almost identical fuel consumption over a given distance. This environmentally friendly fuel is increasingly used in public road transport in almost all major cities in Italy, without any adjustment of the engine being necessary.

Many engines in public transport vehicles no longer meet European emission standards.

Will the Commission say by which means (including financial means) it is promoting environmentally friendly fuels?

Does it not agree that the introduction of environmentally friendly diesel fuels such as GECAM throughout Europe would make sense? If so, what measures are being taken to promote such a move in public transport?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2004)

The Commission promotes the introduction of environmental friendly fuels and, following the Communication on alternative fuels in 2001 (1), is currently studying the technical and economic status and developments of alternative fuels for road transport. For this purpose the ‘Alternative Fuels Contact Group’ has been established. The work of this group is focusing on natural gas and hydrogen, and on measures by which the Community could promote their use. Commission efforts have focussed on alternative fuels that have the potential of achieving 5 % market share Union-wide by 2020. Dispersions of diesel fuel and water, such as developed by CAM-Technologies and by other manufacturers, are known by the Commission to be used in a few cities in France and Italy as a fuel for public transport and in some small scale trials in other Member States but are not included in this work. A study on the eco-balance of alternative fuels recently launched by the Commission also includes an assessment of these emulsion fuels.

At the proposal of the Commission, two important legal instruments were adopted in 2003 for the promotion of environmentally friendly fuels.

Directive 2003/30/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 8 May 2003 (2) sets reference values of 2 % in 2005 and 5,75 % in 2010 for the targets to be adopted by Member States as the minimum proportion of biofuels and other renewable fuels to be placed on their markets.

Council Directive 2003/96/EC of 27 October 2003 restructuring the Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity (3) gives the possibility to Member States of applying a reduced level of taxation to environmentally-friendly fuels. For instance, according to Article 16 of this Directive, a tax reduction is allowed under certain conditions when a motor fuel contains water.

(1)  COM(2001) 547 final.

(2)  OJ L 123, 17.5.2003.

(3)  OJ L 283, 31.10.2003.