Quality of Fuels (Amendment) Regulations, 2026

L.N. 50 of 2026

MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT

(CAP. 234)

AUTHORITY FOR TRANSPORT IN MALTA ACT

(CAP. 499)

REGULATOR FOR ENERGY AND WATER SERVICES ACT

(CAP. 545)

Quality of Fuels (Amendment) Regulations, 2026

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 374 of the

Merchant Shipping Act, by article 43 of the Authority for Transport in

Malta Act and by article 37 of the Regulator for Energy and Water

Services Act, the Minister responsible for shipping and transport, after

consultation with the Authority for Transport in Malta, and the

Minister responsible for energy and water services, after consultation

with the Regulator for Energy and Water Services, have made the

following regulations:-

(1) The title of these regulations is the Quality of Fuels

(Amendment) Regulations, 2026 and these regulations shall be read

and construed as one with the Quality of Fuels Regulations, hereinafter

referred to as the "principal regulations".

(2) The scope of these regulations is to transpose points 8 and 9

of Article 2 (2), paragraphs (1) and (2) of Article 4 and of Annex I and

Annex II of Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the

Council of 13 October 1998 relating to the quality of petrol and diesel

fuels and amending Council Directive 93/12/EEC, as amended by

Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the

Council of 18 October 2023 amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001,

Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 and Directive 98/70/EC as regards the

promotion of energy from renewable sources, and repealing Council

Directive (EU) 2015/652.

Regulation 2 of the principal regulations shall be amended

as follows

(a) immediately after the definition "ASTM method"

there shall be added the following new definition

" "biofuels" means liquid fuel for transport produced

from biomass;";

(b) the definition "EN 228:2004" shall be substituted by

the following new definition

" "EN 228:2012+A1:2017" means the requirements

and test methods specified by the European Committee for

Standardization in relation to the quality of unleaded petrol

fuel for automotive use;";

(c) the definition "EN 590:2004" shall be substituted by

the following new definition

" "EN 590:2013+A1:2017" means the requirements

and test methods specified by the European Committee for

Standardization in relation to the quality of diesel fuel for

automotive use;";

(d) the definition "supplier" shall be substituted by the

following new definition

" "supplier" means an entity supplying fuel to the

market that is responsible for passing fuel through an

excise duty point or where no excise is due or where duly

justified, any other relevant entity so designated;".

Regulation 5 of the principal regulations shall be amended Amends

regulation 5 of

as follows

the principal

regulations.

(a) sub-regulation (2) thereof shall be substituted by the

following new sub-regulation

"(2) Suppliers shall place on the market diesel with a

fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content of not more than

seven percent (7%). Any person placing on the market

diesel fuel shall ensure the provision of appropriate

information to consumers concerning the biofuel content in

particular FAME.";

(b) sub-regulation (3) thereof shall be substituted by the

following new sub-regulation

"(3) Gas oils intended for use by non-road mobile

machinery, including inland waterway vessels, agricultural

and forestry tractors and recreational crafts shall be sold,

offered for sale, or otherwise placed on the market only if

the sulphur content of those gas oils does not exceed 10

mg/kg. Liquid fuels other than those gas oils may be used

in inland waterway vessels and recreational craft only if the

sulphur content of those liquid fuels does not exceed the

maximum permissible content of those gas oils.".

Sub-regulation (1) of regulation 6 of the principal

regulations shall be substituted by the following new sub-regulation

"(1) The Regulator for Energy and Water Services shall

monitor compliance with the requirements of regulations 4 and

5, in respect of petrol and diesel fuels, on the basis of the

analytical methods referred to in First and Second Schedules

respectively. The Regulator for Energy and Water Services shall

monitor compliance

(a) in respect of petrol on the basis of the analytical

methods referred to in standard EN 228:2012+A1:2017;

(b) in respect of diesel fuels on the basis of the

analytical methods referred to in standard EN

590:2013+A1:2017;

(c) in respect of gas oils intended for use by non-

road mobile machinery, agricultural and forestry tractors

and recreational crafts on the basis of the analytical

methods referred to in standard EN ISO 8754.".

The First Schedule to the principal regulations shall be

amended as follows

(a) footnote 1 shall be substituted by the following new

footnote

"1 Test methods shall be those specified in EN

228:2012+A1:2017. The competent authority may adopt

the analytical method specified in replacement EN

228:2012+A1:2017 standard if it may be shown to give at

least the same accuracy and at least the same level of

precision as the analytical method it replaces.";

(b) footnote 2 shall be substituted by the following new

footnote

"(2) The values quoted in the specification are "true

values". In the establishment of their limit values, the terms

of EN ISO 4259-1:2017/A1:2021 "Petroleum and related

products – Precision of measurement methods and results –

Part 1: Determination of precision data in relation to

methods of test" have been applied and in fixing a

minimum value, a minimum difference of 2R above zero

has been taken into account (R = reproducibility). The

results of individual measurements shall be interpreted on

the basis of the criteria described in EN ISO 4259-2:2017/

A1:2019.";

(c) footnote 5 shall be substituted by the following new

footnote

"(5) Other mono-alcohols and ethers with a final

boiling point not higher than that stated in EN 228:2012

+A1:2017.".

The Second Schedule to the principal regulations shall be Amends the

Second

amended as follows

Schedule to the

principal

regulations.

(a) in

the

table

"ENVIRONMENTAL

SPECIFICATIONS FOR MARKET FUELS WHICH SHALL

USED

FOR

VEHICLES

EQUIPPED

WITH

COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINE" the entry

0 (3) "

" Fatty Acid Methyl ester

%v/v

-

(FAME) content(8)

shall be substituted by the following new entry

0 (3) ";

" Fatty Acid Methyl ester

%v/v

-

(FAME) content(8)

(b) footnote 6 shall be substituted by the following new

footnote

"6 Test methods shall be those specified in EN

590:2013+A1:2017. The competent authority may adopt

the analytical method specified in replacement EN

590:2013+A1:2017 standard if it may be shown to give at

least the same accuracy and at least the same level of

precision as the analytical method it replaces.";

(c) footnote 7 shall be substituted by the following new

footnote

"7 The values quoted in the specification are "true

values". In the establishment of their limit values, the terms

of EN ISO 4259-1:2017/A1:2021 "Petroleum and related

products – Precision or measurement methods and results –

Part 1: Determination of precision data in relation to

methods of test" have been applied and in fixing a

minimum value, a minimum difference of 2R above zero

has been taken into account (R = reproducibility). The

results of individual measurements shall be interpreted on

the basis of the criteria described in EN ISO 4259-2:2017/

A1:2019.".

€0.45