Europe will not revise air quality laws until 2013

A revised NEC directive was originally set to be adopted in mid-2007 and legislative proposals revising the sulphur in marine fuel law were due in 2008 together with an implementation report. This delayed report will be issued this year, ENDS was told.

The two laws will not be revised before 2013 because environment commissioner Janez Potocnik intends to focus first on biodiversity, resource efficiency and water in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively, the source said. Green groups wrote to Mr Potocnik in June, urging him to revise air quality legislation this year.

EU countries are required to implement tougher pollution limits agreed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2008 by 1 July. As IMO members, it is the member states that are directly responsible for implementing the limits, not the EU. The revised marine fuel directive will only coordinate implementation.

The European Commission will assess the costs and benefits of the IMO limits this year. It is unknown how many EU countries are on track to meet the July deadline. Finland has already said it will be late. The US and Canada have already implemented the limits.

*Meanwhile, British trade body Maritime UK is urging the British government to conduct a review and impact assessment of the new IMO standards. It is worried about the feasibility of limiting sulphur content to 0.1% in low sulphur areas from 2015.