EU gets cold feet on capping car emissions

According to his spokeswoman, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas is sticking to his guns. "It is clear he does not want to return to a voluntary commitment. That would be meaningless," she said. 

Enterprise and Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen believes that legislation should not be an immediate option. "Mr Verheugen said that legislation on cars and CO2 is an option, but that it would not be possible to bring in legislation this week, so you can't expect legislation to be brought in this year," said spokesman Ton van Lierop. 

It is still unclear which commissioner has the support of Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who has made fighting climate change a priority policy objective, but also wants to guarantee that Europe remains competitive, especially in such a key area as the automotive industry. 

According to his spokesman, he wants more time to reach a consensus. "President Barroso is looking for a coherent approach based on quality and therefore more time is needed to achieve this," he told Reuters. 

Sigried de Vries, spokeswoman for the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), voiced ACEA's support for an integrated approach rather than mandatory targets. "We want the most cost-effective way, both in the interest of the environment and competitiveness," she said, underlining the car industry’s continued commitment to reducing CO2 emissions. 

But environmentalists have blasted the delay. According to Transport & Environment Director Jos Dings: "The delay is worrying because Barroso has put the issue of whether the Commission should legislate now on the table. I find it very worrying that a Commission President who has overseen an energy package calling for a 20% cut in greenhouse gases by 2020 drags his feet at the first serious measure to do this. How credible is that?"