Greenpeace comment on Environment Council’s discussion on dieselgate | WPN World People News

EU environment ministers at Monday's council meeting in Luxembourg discussed the manipulation of emission control systems in cars and the introduction of real driving emission tests. Austria and Denmark, supported by France, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, backed the swift introduction of real driving emission tests. Other countries, amongst them Germany, Sweden and Romania, want to weaken emission standards.

The discussion between ministers comes just two days before the meeting of the EU technical committee on motor vehicles, where member states' representatives are likely to decide on a Commission proposal to phase in real driving condition tests for car type-approval as of 2017. According to the Commission proposal, the Euro 6 emission standard (80 mg/km of Nitrogen Oxides NOx) - which has been in force since 2014 only through unrealistic laboratory tests - will be phased in between September 2017 and September 2019. During the phase-in period type approval would be granted even if the real driving emissions are up to 60 per cent higher than the Euro 6 standard. Despite the Commission’s very lenient position, Germany and other governments still oppose the proposal and could further weaken or block it on Wednesday.

Greenpeace climate and energy expert Jiri Jerabek said “Air pollution caused by fossil fuels is a major killer. We’ve seen it time and again: companies manage to cheat and muscle their way into the political process to undermine emission limits meant to protect our health and the environment. Governments like Germany’s must rise from under the wheels of the car lobby to put air quality before big business. All cars should meet agreed emissions standards on the road, and not just in simulated lab scams.”

Current plans only foresee the introduction of real driving emission tests for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and, at a later stage, particle dust pollution. Greenpeace is calling for the introduction of real driving emission tests for all noxious emissions, including CO2, and for them to become mandatory for vehicle type approval.

The fossil fuel industry has systematically tried to weaken EU standards for air quality and climate protection, not only in the car sector. In April 2015, Greenpeace highlighted how industry lobbyists systematically infiltrated the EU regulatory processes that will set emission standards for large power plants. As a consequence, EU emission limits for coal power plants are likely to fall behind standards in China, Japan and the United States.

Source: Greenpeace EU Unit