New EU emissions proposal causes uproar
A new legislative policy on reducing Co2 emissions announced yesterday by the European Commission has caused uproar within the European car industry and has been labelled unbalanced and detrimental to the competitiveness of European cars. It is also likely to add to worries of struggling automotive leather producers as manufacturers are likely to have to increase the price of their cars, which will mean consumers spending less on ‘extras’ such as the interior, and focus more on smaller models in order to avoid penalties.
Reacting to the proposal, which lays out plans to fine manufacturers if they fail to meet its reduction in emissions by 2012, with penalties beginning at €20 for every gramme over target in 2012, rising to €95 by 2015, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) stated: “The European Commission’s legislative proposal on reducing CO2 emissions from cars, adopted today, does not offer the proclaimed balanced framework to cut CO2 emissions and to safeguard EU competitiveness and growth. The system, if implemented, would effectively reduce the competitive strength of the European automobile sector and put car manufacturing in the European Union at risk. The proposal would also lead to disproportioned costs compared to the environmental gains and the costs of carbon reduction facing other sectors.”
