Environmental groups have today welcomed a European Parliament vote which will help cut back air pollution by significantly decreasing the amount of dirty sulphur allowed in marine fuels. The Directive on Sulphur in Marine Fuels which was tentatively agreed upon before the summer break by the European Parliament negotiators, the Commission and the Council, has just been formally adopted by an overwhelming majority of MEPs.
The Environment Committee of the European Parliament will vote next week on noise limits for vehicles. The compromise proposal put forward by the lead MEP has been drafted by sports car manufacturer Porsche.
Lorry road trains as long as medium-sized aircraft could be permitted to travel throughout Europe, following an unprecedented reinterpretation of existing law by European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. Sustainable transport campaigners Transport & Environment say the change is undemocratic and undermines the Commissioner’s own key objectives for the transport sector of reducing emissions and boosting rail freight.
According to Reuters (1), the EU is set to confirm a legally-binding target for average new car CO2 emissions of 95 g/km by 2020. Transport & Environment, the sustainable transport campaigners, have warned that the target will not be enough to ensure Europe holds on to its leadership position in fuel saving technologies.
A report in today’s edition of Die Welt (1), suggests future European fuel efficiency standards for new cars could be weakened to account for “infrastructure, driver behavior and other measures”. The story cites a forthcoming report by the EU’s CARS 21 high level policy group.
Traffic noise is a serious concern for Europeans, and the EU must act quickly to tackle the issue. That is the call from citizens from several European countries in a video clip published today (1) for International Noise Awareness Day.
