June 2006
OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIALOGUE
The European commission has launched a public consultation on how the EU should further reduce car CO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency as part of its overall programme on climate change. The consultation is aimed at the general public. While the consultation is aimed at gaining information about modern cars and car-buying choices, FIVA members may choose to participate and can do so by accessing the consultation n the internet at:
http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=CO2andcars
Given that one of FIVA’s major current concerns is the potential for the use of older vehicles to be restricted by regulation as a means to help improve air quality, if FIVA members respond to the consultation they may want to also make reference to their ownership, good maintenance and occasional use for pleasure (as opposed to daily use) of their historic vehicles in order to help the European Commission appreciate the low annual use and high standards of maintenance of FIVA’s members’ historic vehicles. Any such information provided would complement FIVA’s research on the economic, cultural and environmental impact of historic vehicles which will be presented to EU decision makers in October of this year.
INFORMATION
European Commission publishes review of Transport White Paper
The European Commission adopted in June a paper on the orientation for future EU transport policy. The Commission has made clear that it recognises that mobility is essential for Europe’s prosperity and for free movement of citizens, but also addresses the negative impact of mobility in terms of energy use and environmental quality and reemphasises the need to boost rail and maritime connections for long distance freight transport. Specifically it suggests measures designed to help achieve the aims including:
? the development of intelligent transport systems to make mobility greener and more efficient - the paper comments that “smart” charging will in the future contribute to a more rational use of infrastructure and the paper announces a methodology as a basis for smart infrastructure charging by 2008;
? a debate on how to change mobility of people in urban areas – a Green Paper will be published next year focussing on the role the EU can play as a catalyst to encourage decision-makers to better tackle congestion, pollution and accidents with innovative actions. It comments that as a part of the debate, a clear view will be needed on what level of government is responsible for new actions.
? Concerning road safety, the paper reiterates the need to step up measures in order to reach the target of halving the number of people killed on EU roads between 2001 and 2010 and the first European road safety day will be held in 2007.
However, the Commission has downgraded the 2001 White Paper's key target of shifting transport from roads to “greener” modes. Following an impact assessment the review concluded that returning the share of rail traffic to 1998 levels cannot be met. And says that continuing to focus on modal shift as a prime objective would have a negative impact on mobility and growth. It has also dropped a key 2001 objective of decoupling transport demand from economic growth. Instead, it now says that mobility must be “disconnected from its negative side effects” and the Environmental lobby group T and E has complained that the change contradicts the relaunched EU sustainable development strategy adopted by EU leaders earlier this month, which reaffirms the decoupling objective.
European Parliament looks at particulate pollution rules
The European Parliament's environment committee has adopted a report on the current and proposed future EU air quality standards, saying they wanted lighter controls on particulate matter and longer exemption periods for air pollution hotspots having trouble meeting the limits. They have called for the number of times a daily average limit of 50 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) of PM 10 can be exceeded to be increased from 35 to 55 days – but in compensation have also called for the yearly average limit of 40 ug/m3 be tightened to 30 ug/m3 from 2010.
Concerning PM2.5 the committee wanted the proposed blanket target for all member states to reduce population exposure by 20% over the decade to 2020 to be differentiated according to actual national pollution levels. They agreed that the target should remain at 20% where initial PM2.5 levels are over 20 ug/m3, but felt they should fall in steps to 0% at 10 ug/m3 or below. It also called for the separate binding concentration cap on PM2.5 levels in air of 25 ug/m3 which is proposed to be to be met by 2010 – to be changed to 20 ug/m3 by 2015 – and said that Member States should get significant extra flexibility to delay meeting the particulates’ targets depending on national circumstances. The Environment Commissioner, Mr. Dimas, made clear that he was not happy with the EP position, noting that it was the first time since he took office that MEPs had sought to dilute his proposals and that he would fight the to maintain the Commission position.
However, in contrast, in its non-legislative resolution on the EU's Cafe strategy for a long-term air quality policy, the Committee said that the EU should aim at deeper cuts in a range of pollutants than those proposed.
In parallel, the Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee adopted its report on European Commission proposal on passenger car taxation which aims to have Member States move from Registration Taxes to annual circulation taxes with a percentage being based on CO2 output (see July 05 issues update).
Car industry failing to meet emission targets
A recent meeting between the European Commission and car industry representatives led to the confirmation that the industry is likely to fail to meet a target to reduce average new car emissions to 140 grams per kilometre by 2009. The industry is apparently only halfway toward meeting the target, which it committed to in 1998. The Commission has promised that it will act in 2007 to ensure the targets are met.
European Commission rejects Dutch bid to cut particulates from cars
The European Commission has rejected a Dutch proposal to effectively ban diesel cars and light vans with fine particle emissions above 5 milligrams per kilometre (mg/km) from 1 January 2007. It has done so under single market rules (article 95) saying that the Netherlands had failed to prove it had a nationally-specific problem with motor vehicle emissions. Furthermore, it added that even if the Netherlands had proven this, the proposed ban would have constituted "a disproportionate obstacle" to the internal market.
Sweden looks to a future with less oil
A Swedish national commission set up “to present a concrete strategy to break Sweden's dependence on oil by 2020” has outlined measures aimed at securing long-term energy supply, reducing climate impact and making better use of energy resources from forestry and agriculture. The Commission wants improvements in overall energy efficiency of at least 20%, 40-50% cuts in the use of petrol and diesel in road transport, and believes that fuel efficiency should be included as a factor in environmental classification of cars.
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The FIVA Legislation Commission members are: Horst Bruning (Chairman); Tiddo Bresters, Andrew Burt, David Davis, Adalberto Gueli, Winfried Kallinger; Patrick Rollet, Svend Aage Tholstrup; and Carla Fiocchi (Secretariat). Andrew Turner of EPPA works with the Committee.