06/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - Provisional agreement on reducing air pollution from non-road mobile machinery. On Wednesday 6 April, the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU reached provisional agreement with the European Parliament on reducing gas and polluting particle emissions from non-road mobile machinery, such as cranes, construction machinery, locomotives and inland waterway vessels (see EUROPE 11390). Environment Council President Sharon Dijkma sees in this “a significant contribution to the reduction of air pollution”, a priority of the Dutch Presidency. The draft regulation seeks to progressively reduce emissions from new engines of non-road machinery being placed on the European market, updating the limit values set out in Directive 97/68/EC. Exemptions will be permitted to address specific needs related to the armed forces, logistic supply constraints, field testing of prototypes and the use of non-road mobile machinery in explosive atmospheres. The Parliament and the Council still have to confirm this first reading agreement. (AN)