highest permissible fuel quantity qkb is rated so as to ensure that the internal combustion engine does not become damaged or rather so that exhaust gas emissions do not exceed certain values the minimal selection unit 120 selects the smaller of the signals qkw or qkb in this manner the desired fuel quantity qkw is limited to the highest permissible fuel quantity qkb the value for the fuel quantities qk to be injected is now applied to the output of the minimal selection unit 120 filed in the pump characteristics map 110 in dependence upon the value for the fuel quantity qk to be injected is a signal u which is applied to the fuel pump or rather to a regulating unit of the fuel pump 105 as a result the fuel pump 105 meters the actual fuel quantity qki into the internal combustion engine 100 the signal pertaining to the value for the fuel quantity qk to be injected is supplied at the junction point 115 to further devices thus the exhaust gas recirculation control stage 160 transmits a triggering signal to the exhaust gas recirculation controlling unit 165 in dependence upon the value of the fuel quantity qk to be injected and the output signal from other sensors 162 to realize a combustion which is as free as possible of exhaust gas and emissions the exhaust gas recirculation rate must be selected in dependence upon the quantity of fuel that is actually injected if the calculation is made on the.