Brussels, Belgium – The European Commission has approved 2006-12-20 aid to alleviate the cost of retrofitting Danish lorries and passenger buses with particulate filters. Such filters will especially reduce the pollution level of elderly heavy duty lorries and buses and thus contribute to the protection of human health and the environment, particularly in urban area.

The Commission has decided to authorise the Danish State aid for the period 2007 to 2008 covering heavy duty lorries and passenger buses. This extends up to 2008 a previous scheme approved solely for heavy duty lorries. It allows at most 30% of the additional costs of retrofitting Danish registered lorries and passenger busses with particulate filters. Beneficiaries of the measure are national and foreign operators of the said heavy duty vehicles.

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