In its statement accompanying Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (5) the Commission recognised the need to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants if significant progress were to be made towards the objectives established in the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme and foresaw, in particular, new legislative proposals that would further reduce Member States’ permitted national emissions of key pollutants, reduce emissions associated with refuelling of petrol cars at service stations and address the sulphur content of fuels, includi ...[+++]ng marine fuels.

In its statement accompanying Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe the Commission recognised the need to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants if significant progress were to be made towards the objectives established in the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme and foresaw, in particular, new legislative proposals that would further reduce Member States’ permitted national emissions of key pollutants, reduce emissions associated with refuelling of petrol cars at service stations and address the sulphur content of fuels, including m ...[+++]arine fuels.

[26] This kind of approach has been well-established to encourage early market introduction of cars that meet future air pollutant emission standards - see e.g. Directive 98/69/EC, and the proposal for a new Euro 5 standard - COM(2005) 683.

If big conurbations encouraged the use of hybrid electric cars, for example, and limited access to cars that pollute, this type of support would be more effective than aid to industry.

(8) Whereas the Commission has implemented a European programme on air quality, road traffic emissions, fuels and engines technologies (the Auto/Oil Programme) with a view to fulfilling the requirements of Article 4 of Directive 94/12/EC; whereas the Commission has implemented the APHEA Project which estimates the external costs of air pollution by motor vehicles at 0,4 % of EU GNP, and further assessments conclude that the external costs amount to 3 % of EU GNP, whereas the Commission has implemented the 'Car of Tomorrow` Action Plan which strives to contribute to the promotion of the 'Car of Tomorrow` which will be clean, safe, energy efficient and 'intelligent`; whereas this action plan enforces Community action promoting R D leading t ...[+++]o clean cars and whereas neither the R D efforts undertaken in the framework of the 'Car of Tomorrow` Action Plan nor EU competitiveness in automobile R D should be jeopardised; whereas the European motor vehicle and oil industries have carried out the European Programme on Emissions, fuels and Engine Technologies (EPEFE) to determine the contribution which can be made both by future vehicles and the fuels which propel them; whereas the Auto/Oil and EPEFE programmes strive to ensure that proposals for Directives on polluting emissions seek the best solutions for both the citizen and for the economy; whereas the need for Community action for the forthcoming Steps 2000 and 2005 has become urgent; whereas it has become apparent that a further improvement of car emission technology is necessary with a view to achieving air quality in the year 2010 as described in the Commission communication on the Auto/Oil Programme;

(5) Whereas Article 4 of Directive 94/12/EC requires that the Commission propose standards which will be enforced after the year 2000, according to a new multi-faceted approach, based on a comprehensive assessment of costs and efficiency of all measures aimed at reducing road transport pollution; whereas the proposal should, besides the tightening of car emission standards, include complementary measures such as an improvement in fuel quality and a strengthening of the motor-vehicle inspection and maintenance programme; whereas the proposal should be based on the establishment of air quality criteria and associated emission reduction objectives and an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of each package of measures, taking into account th ...[+++]e potential contribution of other measures such as traffic management, enhancement of urban public transport, new propulsion technologies or the use of alternative fuels; whereas, given the urgency of community action on the limitation of pollutant emissions by motor vehicles, the present proposals are also based on present or anticipated best available anti-pollution technologies which are liable to speed up the replacement of polluting motor vehicles;