The EU’s new climate change commissioner is promising an initiative on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from lorries, and says the existing agreement to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars could be tightened to provide greater incentives to car makers.
Report making the case for exempting aerodynamic devices from future type-approval legislation for heavy goods vehicles.
The European Parliament has approved a new energy efficiency, safety and noise labelling scheme for new tyres. Transport & Environment says the label is a step forward but much will now depend on national authorities being strict on implementing the scheme.
The Commission is expected to act this month to close a gap in EU legislation by limiting carbon dioxide emissions from road transport. It is putting the final touches to proposals to tighten environmental standards for vans and light trucks, but the car makers’ lobby is fighting to get the proposals weakened, while environmental groups fear that some large cars could be reclassified as small trucks to allow the makers to be less strict about emissions.
The Commission has rejected several suggestions by MEPs to make the forthcoming revised EU law on tyre labelling easier for the public to understand.
Hints that transport will be targeted by the new Commission in its next stage of reducing greenhouse gases have been dropped by three leading officials.
The introduction of longer and heavier lorries on European roads would lead to an increase in CO2 emissions from freight transport according to a new study by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.
Measures to cut fuel consumption and noise through better tyres have moved a step closer, and must now await next month's European Parliament elections.
Motorists should soon be able to get more information on which tyres cut their fuel consumption, which improve their safety and which are quieter, following a vote in the European Parliament's industry committee last month.
The head of the European Environment Agency says transport trends are still 'pointing in the wrong direction'. She was speaking as the EEA issued a report saying greenhouse gas emissions from transport in the EU have increased by 36% from 1990-2006.