L 142/16 Official Journal of the European Union 1.6.2012 COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 459/2012 of 29 May 2012 amending Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 as regards emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 6) (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2007 on type approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 5 and Euro 6) and on access to vehicle repair and maintenance information ('), and in particular Article 5(3), Having regard to Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 estab- lishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles (Framework Direc- tive) (), in particular Article 39(2) thereof, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 and Commission Regu- lation (EC) No 692/2008 of 18 July 2008 implementing and amending Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on type- approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 5 and Euro 6) and on access to vehicle repair and main- tenance information (}) establish common technical requirements for the type approval of motor vehicles and replacement parts with regard to their emissions and lay down rules for in-service conformity, durability of pollution control devices, on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems, measurement of fuel consumption and accessi- bility of vehicle repair and maintenance information. (2)  Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 715/2007, a particle number (PN) standard is to be defined for vehicles equipped with a positive ignition engine to be approved according to Euro 6 standards. (3)  Particles emitted by vehicles may be deposited in the alveoli of human lungs, potentially leading to respiratory 0J L 171, 29.6.2007, p. 1. () O] L 263, 9.10.2007, p. 1. 0] L 199, 28.7.2008, p. 1. and cardiovascular illness and increased mortality. Therefore it is in the public interest to have a high level of protection from those particles. For measuring the particle emissions of positive ignition vehicles, the Particulate Measurement Programme (PMP) measurement protocol developed for diesel vehicles is currently used. However, evidence exists that the size spectra and chemical compositions of particle emissions of positive ignition can differ from those of diesel vehicles. Particle size spectra and chemical composition, and the effectiveness of the current measurement technique in controlling harmful particle emissions, should be kept under review. A revision of that measurement protocol for positive ignition vehicles may be required in the future. Based on today’s knowledge, the level of particle emissions from conventional, port fuel injection (PFI) engines that inject the fuel into the intake manifolds or inlet ports rather than directly into the combustion chamber is low. Therefore, it appears to be justified to limit regulatory action for the moment to vehicles equipped with direct injection engines, without excluding further research and monitoring of the particle emission performance of all positive ignition engines, in particular with respect to the size spectrum and chemical composition of emitted particles as well as to the real driving emissions, and the Commission should propose further regulatory measures if necessary, also taking into account the future market share of PFI engines. Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 has set a particle number emission limit of 6 x 10'! #/km for Euro 6 diesel vehicles. In accordance with the principle of technology neutral legislation, a respective emission limit for Euro 6 positive ignition vehicles should be the same since there is no evidence suggesting that particles emitted by PI engines have a lower specific toxicity than particles emitted by diesel engines. Gasoline particle filters (GPF), an effective after-treatment technology for abating particles emitted by positive ignition vehicles, are expected to become available for integration into some Euro 6 vehicles at a reasonable cost. In addition, it appears likely that within a time frame of three years after the mandatory Euro 6 dates set out in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 715/2007, a similar reduction of PN emissions can be achieved with internal engine measures at substantially lower costs for many applications. Any engine measure must be