European Commission threatens mandatory car emissions targets
Wed 30 August 2006
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The European Commission has warned car makers that legislative measures to lower emissions will be introduced if the manufacturers do not meet voluntary agreements set for 2008/9.
The EC’s warning followed the release of the latest CO2 emissions data for new cars sold in Europe which showed a further fall but which still leaves the industry short of the trend line required to reach the voluntary target.
European, Japanese and Korean manufacturers have agreed to reduce CO2 emissions from their vehicles to an average of 140g/km by 2008/09. The voluntary measures were seen as an important part of the EU’s efforts to reach the Kyoto Protocol targets.
In a subsequent development, in a letter to the Financial Times, a group of former environment ministers urged the current EU leadership to impose mandatory targets on carmakers, pointing out that the voluntary target levels now appear to be out of reach.
ENDS reports that car industry representatives complain that they are "caught between politicians and customers," with car-buyers unprepared to trade vehicle performance for environmental benefit. The European car industry association Acea opposes binding fuel efficiency targets, preferring harmonised EU car taxes linked to CO2 emissions to boost demand for fuel efficient vehicles.
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