summary of the case
| status: | closed in preliminary procedure (Art.91) / complied in preliminary procedure |
|---|---|
| registered: | ex officio 2013 |
Directive 1999/32/EC aims to reduce emissions of SO2, a substance harmful to human health and the environment, resulting from combustion of heavy fuel oils and gas oils. The Directive sets maximum thresholds for the sulphur content in these fuels of 1.00% and 0.10% respectively, and requires frequent sampling and analysis in each Contracting Parties. Directive 1999/32/EC is part of the Energy Community environmental acquis communautaire. The deadline for the implementation of the Directive in the Contracting Parties expired at the end of 2011 and upon the assessment of the domestic legal situation, the Secretariat decided to open dispute settlement procedures against the Contracting Parties the domestic legislation of which was not in line with Energy Community law.
The case against North Macedonia was initiated by the Secretariat for the lack of national provisions applying the standards for sampling and analysis of fuels covered by the scope of the Directive.
Following the adoption of the fuel monitoring plan of North Macedonia on 15 August 2016, the Secretariat decided to close Case ECS-03/13. As the fuel monitoring plan is adopted on the basis of the Rulebook on the Quality of Liquid Fuels, which refers to the standards the use of which is required by Directive 1999/32/EC, North Macedonia rectified the breaches identified by the Secretariat in the Reasoned Opinion.