Europe Calls for Cutting Car Emissions by a Third. Not Enough, Critics Say.
- 6 years ago
Europe Calls for Cutting Car Emissions by a Third. Not Enough, Critics Say.
The proposals by the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, would force automakers to cut vehicle
carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2021 levels, and to achieved half of the cuts by 2025.
Vehicles in Europe would have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost a third by 2030 under proposals unveiled on Wednesday by regulators in Brussels, who were immediately criticized for not doing enough to combat global warming
and for succumbing to pressure from Germany and its powerful auto lobby.
The European Commission acknowledged consulting car industry representatives as part of the normal legislative process,
but denied abandoning quotas under pressure from the German government or industry lobbyists.
German car brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche
that emphasize big luxury cars have a harder time meeting tough carbon dioxide standards than companies like France’s Renault or Italy’s Fiat, which, in relative terms, sell more small cars.
The emissions targets announced by the European Commission on Wednesday are “a half-step into
the future,” Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen said.
The German government has often intervened in the past to block European rules related to emissions and fuel economy
that it perceived as harmful to the country’s automotive industry, a linchpin of Germany’s economy.
Miguel Arias Cañete, the top commission official responsible for climate action
and energy, spoke by telephone on Friday with Matthias Wissmann, president of the German Association of the Auto Industry, a lobbying group, the commission said.
The proposals by the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, would force automakers to cut vehicle
carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2021 levels, and to achieved half of the cuts by 2025.
Vehicles in Europe would have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost a third by 2030 under proposals unveiled on Wednesday by regulators in Brussels, who were immediately criticized for not doing enough to combat global warming
and for succumbing to pressure from Germany and its powerful auto lobby.
The European Commission acknowledged consulting car industry representatives as part of the normal legislative process,
but denied abandoning quotas under pressure from the German government or industry lobbyists.
German car brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche
that emphasize big luxury cars have a harder time meeting tough carbon dioxide standards than companies like France’s Renault or Italy’s Fiat, which, in relative terms, sell more small cars.
The emissions targets announced by the European Commission on Wednesday are “a half-step into
the future,” Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen said.
The German government has often intervened in the past to block European rules related to emissions and fuel economy
that it perceived as harmful to the country’s automotive industry, a linchpin of Germany’s economy.
Miguel Arias Cañete, the top commission official responsible for climate action
and energy, spoke by telephone on Friday with Matthias Wissmann, president of the German Association of the Auto Industry, a lobbying group, the commission said.