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    • T&E rejects blackmail accusation over noise draft law

    On 19 September, the European Voice published on its website an article where Mr Miroslav Ouzky MEP accuses T&E of blackmailing and intimidating him. Intimidation and blackmail are serious allegations, and the latter is even a criminal offence. Hence our wish to set the record straight.

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    Mr Ouzky’s allegations likely stem from a T&E press release with evidence that a so-called ‘compromise amendment’ he had proposed regarding noise emissions from cars and lorries originated from Porsche.

    Commenting Ouzky’s compromise amendment, T&E’s Greg Archer said: ‘The whole point about revising the current noise regulations is to encourage a progressive tightening of standards, not a weakening. This would be the first time in the history of EU environmental legislation that current standards, already met by all vehicles, would be weakened.’

    Mr Ouzky also claims that he has been open to our views and to meeting with us. The reality is that Mr Ouzky has repeatedly and consistently declined our requests for a meeting.

    Thirdly, Mr Ouzky reportedly claims that proposals for compromise amendments are circulating that originate from us. This is also not true. The document the European Voice article refers to is a T&E position on noise emission standards which we circulated to several stakeholders.

    Jos Dings, T&E Director says ‘There is a big difference between holding decisionmakers to account, which is what we did and what we will continue to do, and blackmail which Mr Ouzky accuses us of.’

    Meanwhile, the biggest risk in this debate is that EU denies the 200 million European citizens who suffer from traffic noise an extremely cheap and effective solution: a law that cuts noise emissions from cars and vans by four decibels, and from trucks by three, by 2017.

    T&E remains focused on advocating for cleaner and quieter transport, on the basis of solid science.