EU wants to reduce CO2 car emissions

The EU Commission has presented a compromise proposal on CO2 emissions limits for carmakers: a binding quota for e-cars is off the table but the CO2 emissions of new cars are to be reduced by 30 percent by 2030 instead. According to media reports the car lobby and the German government put enormous pressure on EU Commissioners over the last couple of days to ease the regulations. Commentators are up in arms.

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Zeit Online (DE) /

Put car lobby in its place

Clearly neither the business world nor the political class have learned anything from the recent scandals, Zeit Online complains:

“Perhaps it's too much to expect carmakers who lied to their customers for years and employ entire armies of lobbyists suddenly to be reasonable. ... Perhaps they will continue to invest a large proportion of their profits in developing their 37th monster SUV instead of hybrid cars that are affordable for the masses. Perhaps they simply aren't capable of acting otherwise. Which makes it all the more vital for politicians - both in Berlin and Brussels - to finally limit the influence of the manufacturers. The automotive industry lied and faked emissions values for years. Why on earth would we trust their advice on this of all topics?”

Delo (SI) /

Just more political horse trading

The debate about CO2 emissions is following a familiar pattern, Delo criticises:

“Whenever Europe's leading politicians explain all the things they want to do against climate change there's no lack of grandiloquent phrases. But as soon as they have to make concrete decisions, what follows is just political horse-trading. ... Also regarding the current proposals for limiting CO2 emissions produced by cars, the EU Commission is acting in exactly the same way. The proposals are supposed to combine it all - ambition, realism and feasibility. In the eyes of the EU Commissioners the fact that the environmentalists - and to a lesser extent also industry - are unhappy with these proposals is a sign that they are good and well-balanced. ... However, the EU must do more if it wants to remain the standard-bearer in the fight against climate change and the development of mobility.”