Paints and varnishes - VOC-directive

Directive 2004/42/EC, also known as the paints directive, aims to limit the emissions of substances which promote the forming of ground-level ozone. The Directive governs the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by restricting the content of such substances in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products. VOC means volatile organic compounds.

You will find the latest consolidated version of the VOC-directive from 2021-07-16 below. Consolidation means that the original legal act and all subsequent amendments and corrections have been brought together in a single document.

Amendments and corrections

There are no amendments or corrections that are not included in the latest consolidated text of the Directive above.

Find legal acts in EUR-lex

All legal acts are published in the Official Journal of the European Union in EUR-Lex, the online portal to EU law.

The basic Directive and all amendments and corrections to the VOC Directive are available in EUR-lex. External link.

Implemented through Swedish legislation

An EU Directive must be implemented into Swedish legislation, by law, ordinance or regulations, in order for the rules to apply in Sweden. The provisions of the VOC Directive have been implemented into Swedish law by:

The Swedish Chemicals Agency’s Chemical Products and Biotechnical Organisms Regulations (KIFS 2017:7), in chapter 6