Brussels - In the run-up to a vote by the environment (ENVI) committee of the European Parliament, Friends of the Earth Europe displayed a 4 metre high banner inside the Parliament calling for MEPs to vote for more fuel efficient cars.
The banner highlighted the lack of progress in fuel efficiency by including a Volkswagen Beetle from 1948 and a contemporary model, and showed how the fuel consumption has remained the same after 60 years!
The exhibition was a huge success! With an overwhelming majority, the Parliament's Environment Committee endorsed the European Commission's proposal to cut average emissions from new cars to no more than 130 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g CO2/km) by 2012. Proposals to postpone the deadline to 2015 and to lower proposed penalties to be paid by car manufacturers were rejected. The Committee also said that average emissions in 2020 should be no more than 95g C02/km, subject to a review in 2014. In the next few months, Parliament and Council will try to negotiate a final agreement.
Campaigners hand out fliers to MEPs and their assistants (Photo credit: FoE Europe)
