Mobility: realistic emission targets bring us cleaner cars

”Cars have become much cleaner and we want them to become even cleaner in the future. Therefore, we welcome realistic proposals to further lower CO2 levels from car emissions until 2030 with room for the automotive sector to adjust and choose the appropriate technologies”, said Françoise Grossetête MEP, Vice-Chairwoman of the EPP Group responsible for its Working Group on Economy and Environment, following the European Commission’s presentation of the so-called Second Mobility Package.

She underlined that in the past, the European automotive sector has been able to innovate, adjust and produce some of the cleanest cars on the market - and it will do so in the future, if we get the regulations right at European level.

“A lot of people are now pushing for a transition to electric vehicles and to do away with the combustion engine. Let me be very clear: even though I do believe that electric vehicles will gain in importance, rigid quotas for electric vehicles are not the solution. Our role is to provide the right incentives for cleaner cars on the marketplace and to be clear on the reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions”, she said.

Françoise Grossetête also noted that the package presented by the European Commission is quite big, with different proposals which means that both the European Parliament and the Council have to work very intensely to pass it all before the end of the term.

“This is not the time for ideological games - like we saw in the Dieselgate scandal - but instead a time to seek concrete and viable political solutions to the benefit of the environment, the health of all our citizens, and businesses”, she concluded.