No L 282/64 Official Journal of the European Communities 1. 11. 96 DIRECTIVE 96/69/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 8 October 1996 amending Directive 70/220/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures to be taken against air pollution by emis- sions from motor vehicles THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 100a thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (%), (1) Whereas measures should be adopted within the framework of the attainment of the objectives of the internal market; whereas the internal market comprises an area without internal frontiers in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is ensured; (2) Whereas the first programme of action of the Euro- pean Community on protection of the environ- ment (*), approved by the Council on 22 November 1973, called for account to be taken of the latest scientific advances in combating atmospheric pollu- tion caused by gases emitted from motor vehicles and for Directives adopted previously to be amended accordingly; whereas the fifth programme of action, the general approach of which was approved by the Council in its resolution of 1 February 1993 (%), provides for additional efforts to be made to effect a considerable reduction in the present level of pollu- tants emitted from motor vehicles; (3) Whereas the objective of reducing the level of pollu- tant emissions from motor vehicles and the opera- tion of the internal market for vehicles cannot be sufficiently achieved by individual Member States; whereas they can, however, be better achieved at Community level by the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures to be taken against air pollution by motor vehicles; () ©J No C 390, 31. 12. 1994, p. 26, and O] No C 19, 23. 1. 1996, p. 13. (® OJ No C 201, 26. 7. 1993, p. 9. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 20 September 1995 (OJ No C 269, 16. 10. 1995, p. 82), common position of the Council of 22 December 1995 (O] No C 37, 9. 2. 1996, p. 23) and Decision of the European Parliament of 9 May 1996 (O] No C 152, 27. 5. 1996, p. 44). () O] No C 112, 20. 12. 1973, p. 1. () OJ No C 138, 17. 5. 1993, p. 1. (4) Whereas it is recognized that the development of transport in the Community has entailed significant constraints for the environment and that there is a risk of increased deterioration thereof; whereas offi- cial estimates of the increase in traffic density made hitherto have been exceeded by the actual trend throughout the Community and whereas for that reason very stringent emission standards should be laid down for all motor vehicles; (5) Whereas in 1993 the Commission adopted a Euro- pean programme on emissions, fuels and engine technologies (Epefe); whereas that programme was established to ensure that proposals for future Direc- tives on pollutant emissions seek the best solutions for the environment, for the consumer and for the economy; whereas, it deals with the pollution emitted by motor vehicles and the fuels which propel them; (6) Whereas Directive 70/220/EEC (%), which deals with the measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles, is one of the separate Directives under the type-approval procedure laid down by Directive 70/156/EEC (), (7) Whereas Directive 70/220/EEC lays down the limit values for carbon monoxide and unburnt hydro- carbon emissions from the engines of such vehicles; whereas these limit values were first reduced by Council Directive 74/290/EEC (¥) and supplemented, in  accordance with  Commission  Directive 77/102/EEC (), by limit values for permissible emis- sions of nitrogen oxides; whereas the limit values for those three pollutants were successively reduced by Commission Directive 78/665/EEC (") and Council Directives  83/351/EEC (') and 88/76/EEC (') whereas limit values for particulate pollutant emis- sions from diesel engines were introduced by Direc- tive 88/436/EEC (**}; whereas more stringent Euro- pean standards for emissions of gaseous pollutants (") OJ No L 76, 6. 4. 1970, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Di- rective 94/12/EC (O] No L 100, 19. 4. 1994, p. 42). () OJ No L 42, 23. 2. 1970, p. 1. Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 95/54/EC (O] No L 266, 8. 11. 1995, . 1) ) pOj )No L 159, 15. 6. 1974, p. 61. ) OJ No L 32, 3. 2. 1977, p. 32. (%) OJ No L 223, 14. 8. 1978, p. 48. (") OJ No L 197, 20. 7. 1983, p. 1. (%) O] No L 36, 9. 2. 1988, p. 1. (") O] No L 214, 6. 8. 1988, p. 1.