European negotiators tighten up rules for CO2 emissions
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Member States have reached an agreement Monday on tightening the emission standards for new cars. That is what European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action announced by Miguel Arias Canete.
“Another agreement!! This time about CO2 from cars. We reached a compromise to reduce car emissions (by 37.5 pc) and vans (by 31 percent) by 2030. With these ambitious goals, Europe is once again demonstrating how the Paris climate agreement is being put into action”, tweeted the European Commissioner.
The objectives of 37.5 and 31 percent are more ambitious than the proposals originally put forward by the European Commission. The Commission wanted to reduce emissions from both categories of vehicles by 30 percent. The member states had a reduction of 35% and 30% respectively but had to adjust these targets slightly higher under pressure from the parliament. The parliament advocated for reductions of 40 percent for both cars and vans.
The agreed reduction targets start from the standard that the car manufacturers have to meet in 2021. By then the average emissions must be limited to 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
Criticism
VDA, the trade association of the German automotive industry, has already responded disgruntled to the agreement. According to their statement, by 2030 the targets are restrictive and unrealistic. “This regulation requires too much and promotes too little”, it adds. “Nobody knows today how the agreed limit values can be achieved in the given time.”
Nowhere in the world are there comparable CO2 targets, according to VDA. This affects the international competitive position of the European car industry and puts jobs at risk, warns the trade association.
