The European Parliament adopted 598 votes to 13, with 15 abstentions a legislative resolution amending, under the first reading of the codecision procedure, the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Stage II petrol vapour recovery during refuelling of passenger cars at service stations.
The amendments are the result of a compromise between Parliament and Council.
The main amendments are as follows:
Definition of petrol: the compromise text provides that 'petrol' means petrol as defined in Article 2(a) of Directive 1994/63/EC, as opposed to Article 2(1) of Directive 98/70/EC. As the two legal instruments will apply simultaneously to the same service station it is important that there is consistency in the legal approach.
Service stations: the compromise text states that any new service station shall be equipped with a Stage II petrol vapour recovery system if, inter alia, its actual or intended throughput is greater than 100 m 3 per annum and it is situated under permanent living quarters or working areas.
Furthermore, any existing service station which undergoes a major refurbishment shall be equipped with a Stage II petrol vapour recovery system at the time of the refurbishment if: its actual or intended throughput is greater than 500 m 3 per annum; or if it is greater than 100 m 3 per annum and it is situated under permanent living quarters or working areas.
Any existing service station with a throughput in excess of 3000 m3 per annum shall be equipped with a Stage II petrol vapour recovery system by no later than 31 December 2018.
Lastly, and by way of derogation, these provision will not apply to service stations exclusively used in association with the construction and delivery of new motor vehicles, since the fuel tanks of newly-manufactured motor vehicles contain no petrol vapour.
Minimum permitted level of petrol vapour recovery: Member States shall ensure, with effect from the date on which Stage II petrol vapour recovery systems are mandatory, that the petrol vapour capture efficiency of such systems is equal to or greater than 85 % as certified by the manufacturer in accordance with relevant European technical standards or type approval procedures or, if there are no such standards or procedures, with any relevant national standard.
Periodic checks: the in-service petrol vapour capture efficiency of Stage II petrol vapour recovery systems must be tested at least once per annum either by checking that the vapour/petrol ratio under simulated petrol flow conditions is in conformity with the provisions in the legislation or by any other appropriate methodology.
In addition, when a service station has installed a Stage II petrol vapour recovery system, it must display a sign, sticker or other notification, on or in the vicinity of the petrol dispenser, informing consumers of that fact.
Review: the Commission shall, by 31 December 2014, review the implementation of this Directive and, in particular:
- the 100 m 3 threshold referred to above;
- the in-service compliance record of Stage II petrol vapour recovery systems; and
- the need for automatic monitoring equipment.
Harmonised methods: the Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing measures concerning harmonised methods and standards in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny
Transposition: 1 January 2012 at the latest.