The European Commission has delayed proposals on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars by "a couple of weeks" because of disagreement over whether industry targets should be binding. The Commission had been due to present its proposals on Wednesday along with a package of measures covering fuel quality standards and competitiveness in the EU auto industry.

But a clash between Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, who supports a binding cap on CO2 emissions by motor vehicles, and Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, who opposes binding legislation, has blocked the proposals from going forward. A European Commission spokesman said Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who has made fighting climate change a key policy objective, wanted 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," the spokesman said. He said the proposals would be back on the table in "a couple of weeks". A source close to the president said Barroso supported binding legislation.

Car makers in Europe currently have a voluntary agreement to reduce CO2 emissions to an industry average of 140 grams per km by 2008, but they are set to miss that target. Asian manufacturers have until 2009 to meet the voluntary target. Dimas has said repeatedly that he would propose binding legislation that would require car makers to reduce CO2 emissions of new cars sold in the 27-nation EU to an industry average of 120 grams per km in 2012.

The source close to the president said Barroso was seeking broad support for a legislative proposal that was ambitious and in line with the EU executive's climate change goals. "Everybody realises that there is a need for legislation. The president wants to make sure that there is a large consensus in the college (of commissioners)," the source said. Another EU source said Dimas was "sticking to his guns" but had not received Barroso's support. "Dimas does not want legislation which is meaningless," the source said. "He cannot stick to his guns if the president is reluctant to help."

Environmental group Greenpeace blasted the delay, which comes just weeks after the Commission proposed a broad package of energy measures including a new target to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. "It's just hypocritical," said Greenpeace climate policy director Mahi Sideridou. "They're standing up there saying 'we need to do something about climate change' but they can't even agree on something substantial to reduce emissions from the car industry."

A spokeswoman for the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, which opposes mandatory targets, said the car industry was committed to reducing CO2 emissions and welcomed the debate on how that should be achieved.
(Por Jeff Mason, Planet Ark, 23/01/2007)