Franco-German split deepens as Commission vows to stand firm on 2012 targets
Fri 16 November 2007
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Responding to the European Parliament's non-binding vote for a delay in new car CO2 targets, the European Commission has vowed to stand firm on its 130g/km target for 2012. In related developments, the split between French and German car makers over the regulatory treatment of smaller vehicles appears to have widened, while the UK Government has indicated that it favours giving the industry more time to reach the target.
ENDS reports that the French environment minister, Jean-Louis Borloo has promised to block EU proposals to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars if they unfairly disadvantage manufacturers of smaller vehicles. French-owned companies are among the leading sellers of smaller cars in Europe. Mr Borloo told the Financial Times that makers of more polluting vehicles should be forced to achieve deeper emission reductions.
Meanwhile, The Times reports that Britain is to push for car manufacturers to be given more time to comply with new CO2 emission regulations. It reported that Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, will urge the European Union to adopt a target of 100g of CO2/km for the average new car between 2020 and 2025.
In an interview with The Times, Ms Kelly said that manufacturers needed more time to develop new designs. She said that British companies such as Aston Martin and Bentley, which produced relatively small numbers of high-emission cars, needed to be protected from the European regulations due to be agreed next year.
The Transport Secretary's comments to The Times on the 100g CO2/km target were reiterated by the Prime Minister in his subsequent wide-ranging speech on the environment (see link).
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