Diesel cars in EU to have particle filter from '09

Reuters / STRASBOURG, France -- All new-model diesel cars must be fitted with a particle filter from mid-2009 under proposals passed by European Union lawmakers today aimed at reducing emissions across the EU.

Under the rules, adopted by the European Parliament and due to be endorsed shortly by EU ministers, new diesel cars of an existing model should be fitted with a particle filter as of January 2011.

The regulation "will not hamper the competitiveness of the EU's car industry," European Enterprise Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said in a statement.

Reduced emissions from road transport are seen as an important factor to improve air quality, particularly because the share of diesel vehicles in the overall sales of light duty vehicles is increasing.

Information on repairs must also be easily available to independent repairers, because according to the new measures, a vehicle's environmental performance cannot be maintained properly without practical access to maintenance information.