The Volkswagen scandal made small. Since the revelations about the bypass system of pollution control standards implemented by the German manufacturer, suspicion falls on the entire European automotive industry.
While each state is tempted to defend its national champions, Brussels sentencing a gradual but definite conversion of the fleet of the Old continent, mainly equipped with diesel engines.
Last episode to date: the European Parliament decided Wednesday, February 3 to allow manufacturers to exceed emissions standards. The Minister for Ecology, Segolene Royal, is in is moved in “Le Parisien” Thursday morning:
Introduce more lax standards, is like giving a right to pollute automakers. ”
The ecologist MEP Karima Delli chose to react, she, addressing, with his brothers and sister Pascal Durand, Yannick Jadot Philippe Lamberts and Michèle Rivasi Claude Turmes, a letter to the Minister (available at the end of the article). Interview.
what decided the European Parliament on Wednesday, February 3
– It validated a decision made in secret by October 28 Member States and the European Commission after the Volkswagen case. This text says “comitology” allows vehicle manufacturers to exceed the standards for nitrogen oxide emissions by 110% until 2020 and 50% then. in other words, it allows diesel vehicles to emit 168 mg / km for another four years, then 120 mg / km then, when the law limits emissions to 80 mg / km. It is as if the police allowed motorists to drive at 63 km / h outside schools when it is limited to 30 km / h!
How do you explain this decision ?
– the European institutions step on the head. After the COP21, Parliament validates a text contrary to the law he himself had passed! Worse, legal services and its parliamentary committee in charge of the environment, both denounced the illegality of the text in question. This is a clear act of submission to the will of States, the Commission and the car industry.
Why in this case, Parliament he has validated ?
– the EPP Conservatives, the FN and part of the liberal ALDE voted to support this violation of standards, some under pressure from lobbies, others their Member States. Those members preferred to defend the economic interests rather than the health of European citizens
What is the relationship between this measure and Health
-.? The air pollution is the cause of the premature death of 400,000 people per year in Europe. Diesel engines have a huge share of responsibility for this disastrous record, and are also known carcinogenic by the World Health Organization, because they emit particles, particularly harmful to the body. The UN has warned that pollution is the disease of the XXI century. No one should forget.
Petrol engines reject more CO2. Is it not to meet gas targets for greenhouse, also a health hazard, that European industry continues with diesel
– Europe in particular France, maintains a passion for diesel which was first developed as a matter of competitiveness. Except that this choice of industrial strategy ignores the health risks of diesel also emits hazardous microparticles and nitrogen oxides to health. While the diesel is less of CO2 emissions than gasoline, but it is not climate friend, far from it. The lobbies were beautiful the myth of clean diesel, we now know that it does not exist.
Engine emissions are dangerous, they come from the essence or diesel. Is it giving up the car, in your
– We must renounce any automobile. Our cities were built for one car. Investing in public transport, cycling, encourage carpooling! As for the auto industry, it must be truly turns to the hybrid, hydrogen engines, electrical, to ensure permanent jobs for employees, who are now hostages of this industrial failure. There is therefore no question of abandoning the car, it is essential in many cases. But it’s been ten years since civil society is sounding the alarm on diesel. In real conditions, emissions are on average 40% higher than the standards
How did we get here
-.? First, because that governments have encouraged the development of diesel, via a tax advantage over petrol. Consumers since, so that today the European fleet consists of 55% diesel. States and their industries were then worked for the standards do not change. Everything is done to defend the market share of European manufacturers against their Japanese and US competitors. The auto industry lobbied hard to influence the legislature. In Brussels, the car is the second biggest after the finance lobby, representatives spend 18 million euros a year to maintain the status quo!
European legislation progresses-t- ? it still not
-. If Since the 90s, the European Commission legislate on air quality by imposing emission limits more stringent. Manufacturers have been able to arrange with the new standards for testing, which dated back to 1973 were unreliable. The European Union has decided to set up new tests under real conditions, which should come into force in 2017. It was after the adoption of these new tests that manufacturers were granted the right to exceed the standards. Last week, the Commission also made proposals to review the certification system because the certification agencies are funded by the industry itself, which casts a suspicion of conflict of interest …
by hardening the standards of a sudden, does one not risk an industrial accident
– This argument, often advanced by the industry, is up not. The new standards (Euro 6) were passed in 2007. Builders have been almost ten years to adapt and implement them. As they could not prevent them from being more restrictive, they attack their application. But it is clear that some manufacturers have less difficulty than others. For example, Peugeot Citroen, which has invested more costly technology performs better than Renault. Why do they have some better early than others? Likely to obtain short-term gains.
In France, the Ministry of Ecology has created a commission to transparency. Is it not a sign that there is an awareness from the Volkswagen case
– We’ll see over time. If they do not want consumers to turn away from them, manufacturers must provide reliability wages. Citizens may not be the only ones to act on climate and health. Everyone must take part. That was the message of the COP21! It is necessary that France ceases speeches doubles. In the event, the Minister of the Environment Ségolène Royal said that the text of October 28 was a fault of Europe, but the services of his ministry were involved in discussions in Brussels and did not stop. This morning she acknowledged that “the weight of lobbies fully weighed on this decision.” We ask him to join the talk
What do you think
-.? We ask Ms Royal to capture the European Court of justice. Moreover, environmentalists have worked to create a commission of inquiry, whose powers of investigation are very important. Such a commission was not created since the case of mad cow disease there 16 years. It must serve to make strong legislative recommendations, to break the code of silence that reigns in the automotive industry, and to ensure compliance with European standards on air pollution. Finally, it should lead us to draw inspiration from the United States, creating an independent European agency to monitor the proper implementation of standards. We saw it with the Volkswagen scandal, the United States, we do not laugh with these standards!
The letter Karima Delli, Pascal Durand, Yannick Jadot, Philippe Lamberts, Michèle Rivasi and Claude Turmes addressed to the Minister of Ecology Ségolène Royal:
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