EU delays proposals on car emissions -sources (Reuters)

[Eugene]

EU delays proposals on car emissions -sources
22 Jan 2007 17:57:17 GMT
Source: Reuters

-snip-

By Jeff Mason

BRUSSELS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission has delayed proposals on reducing
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars because of disagreement over whether industry
targets should be binding, European Union sources said on Monday.

The Commission had been due to present its proposals on Wednesday along with a package
of measures covering fuel quality standards and competitiveness in the EU auto industry.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has called for a binding cap on emissions of
heat-trapping CO2 by motor vehicles, but that proposal has been resisted by Industry
Commissioner Guenter Verheugen. "The whole package ... will be postponed," an EU source
told Reuters. "Dimas does not want legislation which is meaningless."

Car makers in Europe currently have a voluntary agreement to reduce CO2 emissions to an
industry average of 140 grams per km by 2008, but they are set to miss that target.
Asian manufacturers have until 2009 to meet the voluntary target.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22852071.htm

[no_hypocrisy]

1. NPR not long ago indicated a hold-up was due to Germans

refusing to drive slower on their Autobahn, which would markedly reduce carbon emissions.