Judgment_paragraph 3 · Ioan Tatu v Statul român prin Ministerul Finanţelor şi Economiei and Others (C-402/09)

3European emissions standards reflect the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new motor vehicles sold in the Member States of the European Union. The first of those standards (commonly known as ‘Euro 1’) was introduced by Council Directive 91/441/EEC of 26 June 1991 amending Directive 70/220/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles (OJ 1991 L 242, p. 1), which entered into force on 1 January 1992. Since then, the rules have become progressively stricter, with the aim of improving air quality in the European Union.