European car makers are continuing their fight against CO2 limits by turning their attention to the fines that can be imposed for missing the 130 g/km target.
In its annual report, the car makers’ umbrella organisation Acea says it is committed to the new deal but attacks ‘disproportionate fines’ for those who miss their targets. The Commission’s second-highest environment official Jos Delbeke defended the agreement, saying it has made car makers look at fuel consumption ‘very differently’.
Europe must stand firm over its future targets for carmakers as it cannot afford to fall further behind China.
The decision to create a Europe-wide carbon price was right but creates significant political risk. The good news is it can still be fixed.
It's about time the EU requires parts of key products to be made locally – and nowhere is this more urgent than in the battery sector.