The European Commission today threatened to take legal action against eight EU states that have failed to introduce rules to cut the sulphur content in petrol and diesel.
The EU named them as France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.
It said none of the states have yet passed EU legislation - due to have been in place since June 30th, 2003 - to reduce the sulphur content to ten milligrams per kilogram, or ten parts per million (ppm).
Sulphur is linked to respiratory illnesses and asthma in humans as well as polluting the environment. If the eight states do not comply, the Commission can take them to the European Court of Justice and possibly ask for fines to imposed.
"Citizens have the right to breathe clean air," EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom said in a statement.
In addition, Belgium, Luxembourg and Britain have fallen foul of EU rules to limit the use of ozone-depleting gases in fridges and air conditioning systems, blamed for global warming.