A raft of legal cases are being prepared by the European Commission against eigh ...

A raft of legal cases are being prepared by the European Commission against eight European Union Member States to force them to monitor and restrict their production of the key greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), reports Keith Nuthall. In a bid to make the EU stick to its Kyoto Protocol commitments, the Commission has formally warned the UK, Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Germany of potential legal actions at the European Court of Justice (ECJ). These concern alleged failures to implement directives including those on monitoring CO2 in ambient air and from passenger car emissions, plus the limiting of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulates and lead pollution. Other petroleum-related EU news includes: · Political agreement has been secured at the Council of Ministers on the proposed directive that would lead to the introduction sulfur-free fuels in the EU. · A directive reducing pollutant emissions from new motorcycles by between 65-70% within four years has gained final approval. · The Commission has approved the securing of sole control by TotalFinaElf Deutschland of Michel Mineralolhandel, Total Saarberg and Elf Mineralol Berlin in the German non-retail market for refined oil products. · Brussels is threatening Sweden and Denmark with legal action at the ECJ for failing to give ‘adequate priority’ to the regeneration of waste oils. · Lithuania has won the right to apply total or partial reductions on excise duty rates on mineral oils in its EU accession negotiations with Brussels. · Opec countries supplied 45% of the EU’s euro 90bn imports of crude oil in 2001, down from 55% in 1995 and 50% in 1999, according to a recent Eurostat report.