Reference: IP/06/1701

Brussels, Belgium – The European Commission has approved 2006-12-06 aid to alleviate the cost of retrofitting Italian passenger buses with particulate filters. Such filters will reduce the pollution level of elderly as well as of new buses and thus contribute to the protection of human health and the environment, in particular in bigger cities.

The Commission has decided to authorise Italian State aid that covers at most 30% of the additional costs of retrofitting Italian registered buses with particulate filters. Beneficiaries of the measure are national and foreign operators of the said passenger buses.

While new buses already have to comply with strict environmental standards under EU legislation this is not the case for older buses which have been put into circulation before these standards were applicable. Retrofitting older buses with particulate filters will thus substantially reduce their pollution to a level close to that of new buses.