Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba wants the EU to require diesel particular filters in vehicles to be openable for cleaning.

DPF filters are installed on diesel-fueled vehicles to capture and store exhaust soot, reducing the vehicle’s emissions. They have been mandatory across the EU since 2009.

Filters are designed to burn off excess soot when driving at high speeds on long journeys. That presents a problem in small countries like Malta, where journeys are generally short.   

In a meeting of the European Parliament’s internal market committee, Agius Saliba argued that diesel car owners are spending thousands of euro to periodically replace their vehicles’ DPF filters, as the filters cannot be cleaned automatically.

Agius Saliba’s proposal is to require manufacturers to allow DPF filters to be opened for manual cleaning, the Labour Party said in a statement issued on Saturday.

“The overwhelming majority of these filters cannot even be cleaned, thus obliging consumers to buy new filters that result in a regular cost of hundreds of euros,” he argued.

EU Commissioner for Consumer Rights Didier Reynders was present for the meeting.

Agius Saliba also raised concerns about an EU law that requires airlines to compensate passengers for air travel problems. When flights are cancelled, changed or excessively delayed, consumers should have the right to full compensation and not be forced to accept vouchers, he argued.