Brussels, 16/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Monday 15 March, the Environment Council, while awaiting the first reading in Parliament, held a debate on the draft regulation setting performance standards for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) to bring average CO2 emissions from LCVs newly registered in the EU to 175 g/km per vehicle between 2014 and 2016, and to 135 g/km by 2020 (compared with 203 g/km in 2007).
The long-term aim won wide support subject to its viability being confirmed by an impact assessment giving legal certainty to the industry and maintaining its competitiveness. Some delegations called for minibuses to be included in the regulation. With regard to the planned flexibility, some delegations, such as Italy's, called for the implementation of the new regulation to be delayed until 2017 to take account of industry's product development cycles. Others, however, which do not produce such vehicles, called for the progressivity between 2014 and 2016 to be removed. European Commission for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard told ministers that the industry would not make any effort if it were not required to do so, that the efforts called for were exactly the same as those required of car manufacturers and that this regulation was an instrument for implementing the EU2020 strategy. (A.N./transl.rt)