Carmakers decry new EU emissions targets as "unrealistic"
- 5 years ago
Carmakers in Europe have criticized a new EU agreement which aims to cut carbon emissions on new vehicles.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… tell us more…
Well Mark…. EU officials struck the deal on Monday and it aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 37.5 percent by the year 2030, while emissions from new vans will have to be 31 percent lower.
That was halfway between the European Council's target of a 35 percent cut and the European Parliament's 40 percent.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association, which represents a host of European and Japanese carmakers, reacted angrily.
The lobby group said the deal was politically motivated and unrealistic.
"The 37.5 percent CO2 reduction target proposed now by the Environment Ministers and the European Parliament is going to be in our opinion too ambitious and not realistic based on the facts we know today. On top, it will have major implications on jobs because the higher targets mean we have to move much faster to its electrification in the near future, which will inevitably mean we have to reorganize our production units, old plants, which will have an impact on jobs because you need in principle less people to produce electric vehicles than fuel combustion cars."
Environmental groups, meanwhile, were also not happy with the agreement, saying the targets need to be higher.
The European Federation for Transport and Environment said the deal was not enough to meet the EU's 2030 climate targets or the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… tell us more…
Well Mark…. EU officials struck the deal on Monday and it aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 37.5 percent by the year 2030, while emissions from new vans will have to be 31 percent lower.
That was halfway between the European Council's target of a 35 percent cut and the European Parliament's 40 percent.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association, which represents a host of European and Japanese carmakers, reacted angrily.
The lobby group said the deal was politically motivated and unrealistic.
"The 37.5 percent CO2 reduction target proposed now by the Environment Ministers and the European Parliament is going to be in our opinion too ambitious and not realistic based on the facts we know today. On top, it will have major implications on jobs because the higher targets mean we have to move much faster to its electrification in the near future, which will inevitably mean we have to reorganize our production units, old plants, which will have an impact on jobs because you need in principle less people to produce electric vehicles than fuel combustion cars."
Environmental groups, meanwhile, were also not happy with the agreement, saying the targets need to be higher.
The European Federation for Transport and Environment said the deal was not enough to meet the EU's 2030 climate targets or the goals of the Paris climate agreement.