11.5.1999 Official Journal of the European Communities L121/13 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 1999/32/EC of 26 April 1999 relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels and amending Directive 93/12/EEC THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 130s(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Atrticle 189¢ of the Treaty (%), ) Whereas the objectives and principles of the Community’s environmental policy as set out in the action programmes on the environment and in particular  the Fifth Environmental Action Programme (*) on the basis of principles enshrined in Article 130r of the Treaty, aim in particular to ensure the effective protection of all people from the recognised risks from sulphur dioxide emis- sions and to protect the environment by preventing sulphur deposition exceeding critical loads and levels; Whereas Article 129 of the Treaty provides that health protection requirements are to form a constituent part of the Community’s other policies; whereas Article 3(0) of the Treaty also provides that the activities of the Community should include a contribution to the attainment of a high level of health protection; Whereas emissions of sulphur dioxide contribute significantly to the problem of acidification in the Community; whereas sulphur dioxide also has a direct effect on human health and on the environ- ment; Whereas acidification and atmospheric sulphur dioxide damage sensitive ecosystems, reduce biodi- versity and reduce amenity value as well as detri- mentally affecting crop production and the growth of forests; whereas acid rain falling in cities may cause significant damage to buildings and the architectural heritage; whereas sulphur dioxide pollution may also have a significant effect upon human health, particularly among those sectors of the population suffering from respiratory diseases; () OJ C 190, 21.6.1997, p. 9, and OJ C 259, 18.8.1998, p. 5. () OJ C 355, 21.11.1997, p. 1. () Opinion of the European Parliament of 13 May 1998 (O] C (4 = 1.6.1998, 111), Council Common Position of 6 October 1998 (O] C 364, 25.11.1998, p. 20) and Decision of European Parliament of 9 February 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). OJ C 138, 17.5.1993, p. S. ©) (10) Whereas acidification is a transboundary phenom- enon requiring Community as well as national or local solutions; Whereas emissions of sulphur dioxide contribute to the formation of particulate matter in the atmo- sphere; Whereas the Community and the individual Member States are Contracting Parties to the UN-ECE Convention on Long-Range Transbound- ary Air Pollution; whereas the second UN-ECE Protocol on transboundary pollution by sulphur dioxide foresees that the Contracting Parties should reduce sulphur dioxide emissions in line with or beyond the 30 % reduction specified in the first Protocol and whereas the second UN-ECE Protocol is based on the premise that critical loads and levels will continue to be exceeded in some sens- itive areas; whereas further measures to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions will still be required if the objectives in the Fifth Environmental Action Programme are to be respected; whereas the Contracting Parties should therefore make further significant reductions in emissions of sulphur dioxide; Whereas sulphur which is naturally present in small quantities in oil and coal has for decades been recognised as the dominant source of sulphur dioxide emissions which are one of the main causes of ‘acid rain’ and one of the major causes of the air pollution experienced in many urban and industrial areas; Whereas the Commission has recently published a communication on a cost-effective strategy to combat acidification in the Community; whereas the control of sulphur dioxide emissions origin- ating from the combustion of certain liquid fuels was identified as being an integral component of this cost-effective strategy; whereas the Community recognises the need for measures regarding all other fuels; Whereas studies have shown that benefits from reducing sulphur emissions by reductions in the sulphur content of fuels will often be considerably greater than the estimated costs to industry in this Directive and whereas the technology exists and is well established for reducing the sulphur level of liquid fuels;