Dutch call for longer-term carbon targets

Car manufacturers should be given longer-term targets to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new vehicles, according to a proposal from the Netherlands that will be discussed next week by ministers.

Environment ministers meet on Monday (3 March) for their first discussion of a divisive proposal on cutting carbon emissions from new cars. At the end of last year the Commission proposed that by 2012 all new passenger cars should emit no more than 130 grams of CO2 per kilometre, with an additional 10g CO2/km expected to come from other measures such as greener fuels. But the proposal has divided member states and come under fire from industry and greens.

One criticism has been the lack of longer-term targets. A spokesman for the Dutch permanent representation in Brussels said: "We are trying to get a roadmap between 2012 and 2020 which will get us to stronger and better targets for 2020." He stressed that the 2020 target would be in addition to the 2012 target, not a substitute. Other member states, including the UK, are likely to back longer-term targets. The Dutch government is considering a figure of around 95g CO2/km by 2020 and would like to see interim targets for 2014 and 2017. Environmental groups favour a 2020 target of 80g CO2/km.

Europe's biggest car-producing countries remain entrenched in opposing camps on the Commission proposal. At the Competitiveness Council this week (25 February), Germany restated its position that the Commission's proposal penalises manufacturers of larger vehicles. A spokes-man said that the current proposal gave no incentives for smaller car manufacturers to work towards better technology and that Germany considered the proposed penalty payments (Û95 for each gram over the target) to be "disproportionate". But France is concerned that the proposal disadvantages makers of lighter vehicles.

• It was announced on Tuesday (26 February) that Guido Sacconi, an Italian Socialist MEP, will be in charge of drafting the Parliament's opinion on the CO2 and cars proposal.

Car manufacturers should be given longer-term targets to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new vehicles, according to a proposal from the Netherlands that will be discussed next week by ministers.