Brussels, 10/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - The coordinators of the EMIS committee of inquiry into the Volkswagen scandal elected Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, Netherlands) and Pablo Zalba Bidegain (EPP, Spain) as joint rapporteurs on Thursday 10 March.
Gerbrandy said on that same day that he will do all in his power to shed light on where the blame lies, whether with governments or the Commission. “We have to find out why neither governments nor Commission intervened”, he said. A series of revelations would seem to show that the Commission had long been aware of the fraudulent practices of some car manufacturers (see EUROPE 11430).
Zalba Bidegain has called for caution and is keen to make sure the committee does not turn into a “court of inquisition” against the industry. This comment echoes the statement from the EPP Group which, when the bureau was appointed, said that it wanted to avoid any “witch hunt”” (see EUROPE 11503). “This sector employs thousands of people in Spain and we must not endanger it irresponsibly”, the MEP said, seeking to give warning to those who would like to exploit the scandal to attack the industry. He hopes that a “balanced” agreement will be reached among the main political groups for the management of this committee in its preparation of a “balanced report”.
“We will not go beyond the mandate that we have all agreed”, he told EUROPE, a mandate that consists of bringing light to bear on what happened in the Volkswagen scandal and finding ways to ensure that there can be no repetition of any such situation in future. This is a pointed reference to certain Greens/EFA Group MEPs, such as Karima Delli (France), who would like to emphasise the harmful effects of diesel fuel on health.
Alongside the election of the two joint rapporteurs, which can in no way be said to be a surprise (see EUROPE 11504), the coordinators also discussed the speaking times allowed the various groups during hearings, said a Parliamentary source. The content of this agreement is likely to be revealed shortly.
The timetable for the next six months has also been set. The committee will meet on 22 March, 7 April, 19 April, 28 April, 24 May, 16 June, 30 June and 13 and 14 July. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)