The European Parliament has backed an ambitious proposal by Maltese MEP Miriam Dalli to cut carbon dioxide emissions from cars and vans by 40 per cent by 2030.
Dr Dalli had promoted the proposal, which includes an interim target of 20 per cent reductions by 2025, as rapporteur in the Parliament’s environment committee.
EU lawmakers on Wednesday backed the target, which is tougher than that proposed by the European Commission, by 389 to 239. The position adopted by the Parliament also includes the introduction of real-driving emissions tests by 2023, emissions calculations to be based on real-world testing, rather than manufacturers’ declared values.
The draft law will now go forward to negotiations with the European Council and Commission.
Addressing a press conference after the vote, Dr Dalli said: “The European Parliament has recognised that the way forward is to be ambitious in getting cleaner cars onto our roads. This is a victory for our children, for the health of our citizens, for our workers, for our competitiveness and ultimately for our cities and member states.”
Dr Dalli said all indications suggested a more ambitious position would create more jobs in the EU in the years to come, adding that a 40 per cent emissions reduction could lead to the creation of 92,000 jobs if coupled with increased support for European battery manufacturing.
The way forward is to be ambitious in getting cleaner cars onto our roads- Miriam Dalli
The parliament's environment committee, which leans towards tougher action on climate change than the chamber as a whole, last month backed a reduction of 45 percent by 2030 on emissions of automakers' fleets of cars and vans.
But the biggest political group, the centre-right European People's Party, did not support that target, concerned it could harm the industry's competitiveness, although the three Maltese PN MEPs within the EPP supported and voted in favour of the more ambitious target.
The European Commission’s draft law proposes less exacting CO2 reduction targets of 15 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030 compared with 2021 levels.
Vote sets stage for battle with national governments
Wednesday’s vote set lawmakers' position for negotiations on the final targets with the bloc's 28 member states, which are still debating their position.
Germany, voicing worries that more ambitious climate targets will cost jobs in its big automotive sector, has said it will back the European Commission's initial proposal.
But other EU governments, including France, are seeking a higher target.
Volkswagen's admission in 2015 that it had masked exhaust emissions using software in as many as 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide has galvanised EU regulators into setting tougher rules.
"Auto manufacturers and certain governments have not learned their lessons from the Dieselgate scandal," said Karima Delli, chair of parliament's transport committee.
Germany set out its own plans on Tuesday to cut pollution from older diesel vehicles by asking carmakers to offer trade-in incentives and hardware fixes.
The EU's new rules aim to help meet the bloc's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.
They will introduce a credit system for carmakers to encourage the rollout of electric vehicles, as well as fines for exceeding CO2 limits.
Under the plan, carmakers would be able to lower their CO2 targets by meeting a benchmark for the sale of zero- and low-emission vehicles as a share of their total new car sales.
An amendment introduced by lawmakers also adds penalties if manufacturers fail to meet that benchmark.
The European carmakers' lobby, however, has said a stricter CO2 target than the 30 per cent proposed by the Commission was unrealistic and a threat to the sector's growth.
Additional reporting provided by Reuters