The Netherlands has moved closer to becoming the latest nation to introduce a kilometre charge and the first to charge for private cars.
Last month, draft legislation was presented to the Dutch parliament, but there are still lots of controversial issues. Environmental groups say the benefits of the scheme are severely limited because the proposed charge for trucks will be lower than that for cars, the maximum fee for cars has been set at €0.067/km – and that only in 2018 – and total revenue will be capped.
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.