European Parliament shows some ambition on CO2 reductions

The majority of MEPs have just voted to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars by 40% by 2030. The European Parliament's position for the upcoming negotiations with the European Commission and Council and lags behind the position of the Environment Committee, which had called for a 45% reduction, and goes beyond the European Commission's proposal of just 30%. EU Environment Ministers will set out their position on 9 October. The run-up to this vote has seen unprecedented lobbying by the car industry and the European Commission in an attempt to further water down the Parliament's position.

Bas Eickhout, climate spokesperson for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament and member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, comments:

"While it's good to see that the Parliament recognises the need for ambition in reducing emissions, conservatives groups stand in the way of the kind of efforts needed to save the planet. The European Parliament is overly cautious in the face of overwhelming evidence. The road to clean cars, zero-emission traffic and the Paris climate targets is still a long way off.

"The Dutch government and others support more ambition. We cannot compromise our climate because certain governments and the Commission act as lobbyists for the car industry. In the upcoming negotiations the Parliament must stand firmly by its newly agreed targets or we risk further undermining our ability to even come close to the EU's climate commitments."