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Germany has managed to delay tougher European Union car emission rules amid fears they could harm its automotive industry, with the full support of the UK Government!
The 28-nation bloc's environment ministers on Monday agreed amid strong lobbying from Berlin to further tweak the proposed rules.
EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard deplored the delay and stressed the scope to change the rules "is very limited."
She stressed an agreement must be reached "within weeks" to ensure the European Parliament can approve the rules before its term expires in May.
In a compromise deal in June, governments and Parliament agreed to force carmakers to limit the average carbon dioxide emissions of their fleet of new cars to 95 grams per kilometer by 2020, from a 2015 target of 135 grams. Germany wants to delay that for another four years.
In response Ed Davey's decision to support the German proposal to block lower emissions at the meeting of European Committee of the Council of Ministers, Greenpeace chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said:
“Any claim by the Liberal Democrats that they are a moderating influence on the coalition’s environmental vandalism has been well and truly exposed as total cobblers after Ed Davey supported German proposals that would have seen a gradual reduction in car emissions by 2020 - a policy that the coalition was supporting only three months ago.
If press reports are to be believed, and the volte face by the government is all about a shoddy deal between Markel and Cameron to give the German car lobby their way on higher emissions while Cameron gets his with unlimited and unregulated bankers’ bonuses, then Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats have betrayed every principal and every value they have ever espoused.”
Source: Greenpeace / AP
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