In their recommendations adopted on Tuesday 28 February, MEPs at the Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) Commission investigating emissions fraud, called for a European vehicle surveillance agency to be set up. 37 voted in favour, 3 voted against, with 4 abstentions, in addition to the committee conclusions.
The vote came as a surprise to everyone if the rumours at the Parliament are to be believed. Bas Eickhout (Greens/ EFA, Netherlands,) was one of those who submitted the amendment and informed EUROPE afterwards that he did not expect such a result. Nonetheless, although the recommendation was adopted, there is no certainty that it will be maintained during the April plenary. The chairperson of the EMIS Commission, Kathleen van Brempt (S&D, Belgium), was interviewed by EUROPE and said that, “it was a very tight vote on the Agency”, before adding that maintaining the proposal was hypothetical and warns that, “There will be a political battle”.
MEPs also suggested that in the future, air-quality and vehicle emissions should be covered by a single European Commission directorate and not by two, which is currently the case. They are calling on the European Commission to revise the compliance factor every year by taking into account technological developments and to present a comprehensive report 18 months after the adoption of the recommendations, on the action undertaken by the Commission and member states. This would be on the basis of the recommendations and conclusions from the EMIS Commission.
Conclusions and recommendations toughened up during vote.
During the press conference that immediately followed the vote, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, Netherlands), the co-rapporteur for the two texts, welcomed the fact that the recommendations and conclusions in the report are generally both strong and critical with regard to both the Commission and member states. He therefore noted that the report had even been further strengthened with regard to the European Commission if not with regard to the current Commission but with regard to its predecessors.
Antonio Tajani (EPP, Italy) will not be mentioned but member states will. One eagerly awaited amendment involved the one on the inaction of the “Vice president responsible for the application of regulation No. 715/2007”, in other words, Antonio Tajani, the new president of the European Parliament. The amendments submitted by the Greens/EFA, did not succeed, due to the opposition of the EPP and the abstention of the S&D. Jens Gieseke, from Germany, the EPP co-rapporteur said that they needed to avoid “the blame game” and that if they did play it, the role of Günter Verheugen, the former German Social Democrat Commissioner for Industry, could be named. This argument was supported by Ms van Brempt, who, whilst pointing out that she had not taken part in the vote as president of the committee, she would have followed the line of her group, if she had been able to.
Review of vehicle approval and surveillance system in firing line.
Two deadlines have been mooted: the plenary vote on the report by Daniel Dalton (ECR, United Kingdom) on the regulation on Motor vehicle approval and market monitoring, which will be held at the same time as the vote on the recommendations from the EMIS commission, in Apri and the general approach from the Competitiveness Council on 29 May next. Mr Gerbrandy told EUROPE, “I am very confident that at the end we will have a very strong European Parliament position but I am much more concerned about the Council”. It should be pointed out that the plenary vote will focus on the recommendations and not the conclusions. It will therefore put an end to the very heavy workload of the commission of enquiry that was set up a year ago during this controversy (see EUROPE 11456). President van Brempt said the commission of enquiry had now ended but not its work. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)