Press release - October 28, 2009
After months of delay, the European Commission today presented a bitterly disappointing proposal to reduce CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles. Greenpeace accused the Commission of blatantly ignoring its own decarbonisation strategy.
Greenpeace EU transport policy campaigner Franziska Achterberg said: "President Barroso has clearly dropped the ball on transport. A climate crisis is upon us - urgent and ambitious action is what we need, not months of foot-dragging and a shamefully feeble proposal with delayed targets."
The proposed legislation will restrict emissions from vans sold in Europe to 175g CO2/km by 2016 and 135g CO2/km by 2020, compared to the 203g CO2/km emitted by the average van in 2007. These figures are weaker than commitments made by the Commission in 2007 (1) and conflict with Barroso's pledge to "maintain the momentum" towards decarbonising the transport sector (2). The proposed legislation also fails to make the 2020 target mandatory for car manufacturers.
Notes:
[1] In February 2007, the Commission put forward a target of 175 g CO2/km by 2012, and 160 g CO2/km by 2015 for light commercial vehicles. See ‘Results of the review of the Community Strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles’ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52007DC0019:EN:NOT.
[2] See ‘Political guidelines for the next Commission”’, http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/pdf/press_20090903_EN.pdf