Fuel quality improvement steps towards EU approximation in Macedonia

1. Fuel quality improvement steps towards EU approximation in Macedonia Slavjanka Pejcinovska-Andonova, REC CO Macedonia, Project Manager Szentendre, 25-28.October 2005

2. Introducing environmental consideration into fuel quality issues • There is a direct complex linkage between: • Air emissions from the mobile sources; • Air quality assessment; • Traffic urban Air pollution monitoring; • Crude oil production on national level and import of fuels; • Fuels quality and fuels standards; • Fuels quality testing and monitoring; • Vehicle number, age structure and distribution according the type of fuels;

3. Environmental problems caused by mobile sources in Macedonia • Significant impact on the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4 and N2O gases); • According to the Inventory of Greenhouse Gas emissions the transport sector constitute a significant part (10%) of the total GHG emissions from the energy sector (the range between 9,381.81 kt (in 1992) and 11,203.71 kt (in 1998). • The annual emissions of SO2 from mobile sources for 2002 is 19220 t/year; • The total annual lead emission by mobile sources in 2003 was 47 t Pb/year based on fuel quality standard of – 0.6 g Pb/l; • The transport contributes with small (o.oo2%) quantity in the total dioxins emissions (as part of POPs emissions) in our country;

4. National Policy on Air emissions from mobile sources • National Environmental Action Plan II (in final stage); • Master Plan for phasing-out leaded petrol (prepared in 2003); • National Environmental-Health Action Plan (prepared in 1996); • Macedonia has ratified multilateral agreements dealing with air quality (Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution under the UN/ECE, UN Framework Climate Change Convention, Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Stockholm Convention for POPs); • New environmental legislation harmonized with EU legislation

5. Air emission and Air quality legislation towards EU approximation • The new Law on Ambient Air Quality (harmonized with EU legislation) was prepared and adopted in 2004 (Official Gazette No. 67/2004 dated 10.10.2004). The new Law on air quality regulates: • Limits on emissions into air from stationary sources; • Air quality targets (Decree on Ambient Air quality limits in draft version with proposed 2010/2012 as a deadline for EU targets; • Air emission limits for exhaust gases from mobile sources and • Content of dangerous substances in fuels according the EU, WHO and international guidelines and recommendations • The main emissions pollutants from mobile sources: • CO2 , CO, NOx , SO2 , lead, oxygenates, benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), VOCs will be addressed with the subsidiary legislation (under preparation).

6. Important Fuel Quality issues • Market share of leaded vs. unleaded petrol; • Proposed year to ban the leaded petrol is 2006 • Fuel quality monitoring: • At producer laboratory; • Ad-hock checks on filling stations; • During the fuels import; • No independent authorized lab • Fuel quality standards: Partially harmonized with EU Directive 98/70/EC; • Rulebook on the Quality of liquid fuels (Official Gazette No. 23/2004)

7. Main points in the Rulebook on the Quality of liquid fuels (Official Gazette No. 23/2004) • The lead content in the leaded petrol (MB 96) was decreased from 0.6 gPb/l to 0.15 gPb/l; • The lead content in the unleaded petrol (BMB 95) was decreased from 0.02 gPb/l to 0.013 gPb/l; • The sulphur content in diesel fuels was decreased from 0.6% to 0.20% (2000 ppm); • Certificate for compliance with the fuel quality as a part of each delivery of fuels

8. Initiative for the preparation of new fuels standards according EU requirements • Many complaints by the car drivers and car importers about the fuels quality (especially for sulphur content in diesel); • Necessity of harmonization of the national standards with EN 228:2004 (petrol) and EN 590:2004 (diesel); • New fuels quality standards are in phase of preparation in the Institute of standardization; • Necessity of changes-amendment of the Rulebook on the Quality on liquid fuels (2004) according the new standards; • Setting the timeframe for the step-by step introduction of the new fuels quality standards

9. Important vehicle emissions issues • The total number of vehicles in 2003 was 450 000 (80% passenger cars); • Age structure of vehicles; • Vehicle emission testing: • Number of testing sites - 55; • Regular testing every year; • Exhaust emission levels of CO (vehicles run on petrol) and exhaust gas opacity (vehicles run on diesel); • Book of regulations for technical control under the Law on safety on the roads

10. Needs to continue with the efforts towards EU requirements on fuels quality Technical and financial assistance from international community to support complex project activities dealing with: • Continuation of the implementation of the Master Plan for phasing-out leaded petrol (phase II proposed activities); • Establishing the Monitoring Body on implementation of the Phase II of Master Plan for phasing out leaded petrol; • Preparation of the Study “Possibilities for implementation of the new EU fuel quality standards in Macedonia”; • Capacity building and institutional strengthening on EU trends on fuel quality, fuels monitoring issues, institutional framework on national fuel quality data base, introduction of clean fuels; • Economic and financial incentives for introduction of clean fuels; • Preparation of the secondary legislation under the Law on Ambient Air quality related to fuels quality issues