Labour MEP Miriam Dalli has vowed to forge ahead with her ambitious proposal to cut carbon dioxide emissions for cars and vans by at least 40 per cent by 2030, despite the European Commission’s attempt at backpedalling.
The proposal goes to the vote next week but in a clear attempt to water it down, the European Commission on Tuesday issued what it called a “non-paper”, containing a series of tables and percentages but void of any workings.
A non-paper is an informal document which is used as a basis for discussions. Sources in Brussels have questioned the timing of such a document, issued 10 months after the commission published its proposal for the regulation and just one week before the vote.
“It is clear that the so-called ‘non-paper’ which the commission is trying to present as part of its impact assessment seven days before the final vote in the European Parliament is a serious attempt at shooting down any ambition and attempting to come up with calculations to try and keep CO2 reductions down,” Dr Dalli told Times of Malta.
The Commission should have been clear on what and how it based its calculations
“The Commission should have been clear on what and how it based its calculations.”
Dr Dalli had been appointed in February to lead the Parliament’s negotiations on the EU’s car emission standards beyond 2020, a critical piece of legislation aimed at cutting emissions across all member states.
The commission had proposed that cars and vans should be emitting 30 per cent less CO2 in 2030 than in 2021.
Earlier this month, the parliament’s environment committee voted to recommend to the plenary that the reduction percentage is increased to 45 per cent.
Dr Dalli had originally started off with a 50 per cent reduction but had lowered the ambitious figure to 45 or, at the least, 40 per cent, which has already been tabled as a possible amendment, in the spirit of compromise.
Malta’s carbon dioxide emissions rose by almost 13 per cent in 2017 – the largest increase across the EU – according to Eurostat figures.
Traffic has long been the main driver of Malta’s poor performance on emissions, with a European Commission report last November finding that increased road congestion would likely cause the country to miss its binding 2020 greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Dr Dalli said that the lower the ambition, the less jobs are created within the EU and the less Europe properly addresses the issue of climate change.
“I stand for creating jobs, fostering innovation and making sure that we do not let other continents move forward, leaving the EU lagging behind,” she said.
“This is the way forward if the EU does not want to lose out when it comes to competitiveness and job creation.”
Traffic is one of the major causes of emissions in Malta. Photo: Shutterstock