Leinen and 13 other MEPs said they would reject the Commission’s proposals for the implementation of the EU’s fuel quality directive if fuel from tar sands was treated as having the same emissions as conventional petrol and diesel. Following pressure from Canada, proposed measures plan to overlook the fact that petrol and diesel made from tar sands are considerably more CO2-intensive than conventional petrol sold in the EU market.
MEPs stand up against tar sands
The campaign to make petrol and diesel derived from tar sands less economically attractive received the support of a group of MEPs earlier this month, including the chair of the environment committee, Jo Leinen.