Strasbourg, 19/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - Following the rapporteur for its delegation in the EP/Council conciliation committee, Lara Gonzalez Alvarez (Izquierda unita), Parliament approved the "joint project" (with the Council) on the monitoring programme for average specific CO2 emissions caused by new private cars. The aim of the programme is to check the effectiveness of the Community strategy for the reduction of CO2 emissions to an average of 120gr/km by 2005 (with exemptions up to 2010). On first reading, the Council had only accepted 11 of the 48 Parliamentary amendments, notably refusing to include in the field of application the decision on light utility vans. Later, the Council accepted amendments on the mention of a reduction in the level of concentration of greenhouse gases and the possible need for a legal framework for the agreements to be concluded with automobile manufacturers. Even though the Council once again rejected the amendment on the obligation to gather information on the dimension of vehicles, an annex already provides for much information from which it emerges that the dimension of a vehicle does not constitute a defining factor.
In the end, a majority of Parliament considered that the compromise was acceptable.