On Thursday 27 March, the EPP group in the European Parliament decided to postpone once again the resolution on the automotive industry tabled by three MEPs from the ECR group, the Czechs Ondřej Krutílek and Alexandr Vondra, and the Italian Carlo Fidanza.
“It’s because of the targeted amendment on CO2 emission standards that the European Commission is due to present next Tuesday”, a source at the EPP told Agence Europe. “This amendment is likely to give car manufacturers more flexibility, and will avoid hopefully huge fines for the struggling industry, something the EPP has been calling for”, she added. “It is therefore important to wait and deal with this targeted amendment from the Commission first”.
Nicola Procaccini, co-chairman of the ECR group, said he was “appalled” by yet another delay, in a statement issued after the meeting of the Conference of Presidents of the parliamentary groups: “The EPP and the groups on the left have once again refused to take responsibility”.
“The reality is that the current system is damaging our industry ”, he warned. The CO₂ penalties alone could cost manufacturers €17 billion. That’s a direct threat to jobs and innovation”.
He rejected the justification that the European Parliament should wait for the Commission to amend the regulation: “The promised revision hasn’t even happened yet. We need a change of course - and Parliament must finally say so”. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)