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After the European Parliament backed measures to cut car emissions to 130 g/km by 2012, some member states are pushing to delay the implementation of the limit to 2015.

European Union member states are also grappling over the penalties to be imposed on carmakers who do not achieve the target. Italy, among others, is pushing for fines less than the original proposed penalty of €95 for every gram of CO₂ per kilometre over the target.

Plans to make car tyres more efficient and less noisy have also been watered down by the European Parliament’s industry committee.

Reducing the rolling resistance of tyres can increase fuel efficiency by up to 5%, while the proposed noise standards would have cut traffic noise levels by half.

The European Commission (EC) is proposing to phase out inefficient and noisy tyres between 2014 and 2018, before removing them from the market completely. However, the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) – with support from the Italian government – has been pushing for weaker targets and no ban.

“Energy inefficient, noisy tyres are bad news for consumers who miss out on fuel savings, and for the 200 million Europeans who suffer from the impact of road noise, for which tyres are primarily responsible,” says Nina Renshaw of pressure group Transport & Environment (T&E).

T&E is calling for the European Parliament to ignore the industry committee’s proposals and back the original EC plan when it ultimately votes on the measures.

For further information:
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52008PC0316:EN:NOT
www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/draftReportsCom.do?language=EN&body=IMCO
www.etrma.org/

Related stories:
European Parliament U-turn on fuel efficiency standards (26-Sept)
European Parliament committee votes to water down fuel efficiency standards (3-Sept)
Car manufacturers stalling on CO₂ emission reductions (29-Aug)