ASTANA (Trend news agency) – Starting Jan. 1st, the importation and manufacting of motor vehicles that not meet at least the Euro 3 environmental class have been banned in Kazakhstan, The Kazakh Transport and Communications Ministry said on Thursday. Consequently, the Euro-3 standard became the national standard.

European emission standards define the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in EU member states. The emission standards are defined in a series of European Union directives staging the progressive introduction of increasingly stringent standards. Currently, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), total hydrocarbon (THC), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) are regulated for most vehicle types, including cars, lorries, trains, tractors and similar machinery, barges, but excluding seagoing ships and aeroplanes. For each vehicle type, different standards apply.

The stages are typically referred to as Euro 1, Euro 2, Euro 3, Euro 4 and Euro 5 for Light Duty Vehicle standards. The corresponding series of standards for Heavy Duty Vehicles use Roman, rather than Arabic numerals (Euro I, Euro II, etc.). Euro 3 imposes these emission limits:

• CO: 0.64 g/km
• NO_x: 0.50 g/km
• HC+NO_x: 0.56 g/km
• PM (particulates): 0.05 g/km

This new regulation is stipulated by 14 articles of technical regulations titled On requirements for emissions of harmful substances (pollutants) of vehicles put into circulation in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, approved by the Government in December 2007.

At the present, the introduction of the Euro 4 standard for imported cars to take effect July 1, 2013 is being considered.