Finns vow to push for deal on car recycling

Date: 01/07/1999

By Renée Cordes
THE incoming Finnish presidency has vowed to push for swift agreement on EU-wide car recycling measures despite German intransigence over the issue.

Helsinki is under intense pressure from the outgoing European Commission to undo the damage caused by Bonn when it scuppered hopes of a deal at last week's meeting of environment ministers.

Presidency sources say that Finnish Environ-ment Minister Satu Hassi may call for a discussion on the controversial end-of-life vehicles directive as early as the informal ministers' meeting on 23-24 July.

Helsinki is anxious to rescue the issue from the scrap heap after Germany's Jürgen Trittin was forced to backtrack on his pledge not to block a deal at last week's meeting following fierce lobbying by the German car industry.

Helsinki had already declared its support for the measure, but diplomats say the issue will probably be given a higher profile now because of the embarrassment caused by last week's decision to delay a deal yet again.

"The political agreement gave a bad picture of the Council of Ministers." said a presidency source, adding that Finland and the Commission would work together closely to decide how best to make progress. "If there are possibilities to go on with the directive during the presidency, then Finland will be ready to get it through."

There was anger in many member states over an apparent trade-off between Bonn and London, with Germany agreeing to support the UK in its opposition to plans to give artists the right to royalties when their works are sold anywhere in the EU in return for British support in blocking the end-of-life vehicles directive.

The blame for Germany's U-turn has been laid squarely at the door of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who once served on Volkswagen's supervisory board and bowed to pressure from car manufacturers who claimed the proposal would leave them footing the bill for recycling old cars.

Under the Commission's plan, 95% of the parts used in all vehicle models approved after 2005 would have to be reused for their original purpose and 8% of the parts would have to be recycled. For vehicles approved before 2005, the targets would not apply until 2015.

A spokesman for Bjerregaard lambasted the decision to delay agreement once again, but expressed optimism that the Commission and Finland would be able to thrash out an acceptable compromise. "I think there was a general understanding at the Council that the Finnish presidency and the Commission would explore ways of dealing with this dossier as quickly and efficiently as possible." he said.

One solution discussed by ministers would be to bring forward implementation of the rules requiring car manufacturers to take back newer vehicles and postpone it for vehicles already on the market.

Keyword: End-of-life vehicles directive.