Learning the lessons of 'dieselgate'

EFA MEP Jordi Sebastià wants Europe to learn the lessons of the so-called 'dieselgate' scandal which famously saw car manufacturer Volkswagen exposed for having installed software to manipulate emissions readings from its vehicles. The scandal was originally revealed by the Interna...

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 1-5 February 2016

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg plenary included car pollution laws and real driving emissions tests, controversial TiSA services agreement, health damaging endocrine disruptors and Commission inaction, EU Corporate Tax Package, Schengen and Europe's asylum shame, Brexit, opposing GMO feed approvals and reforming the system, and the EU-Kosovo progress report.

EU car pollution rules

European Parliament abdicates responsibility and waves through license to pollute for carmakers

A decision introducing new loopholes to EU law aimed at limiting car pollution was today waved through the European Parliament. The decision introducing 'conformity factors' as part of the testing procedure for car pollutant emissions will allow car manufacturers to produce and market cars t...

Car industry regulation

Revamping European type approval system overdue but EU governments must play ball

The European Commission today presented legislative proposals aimed at strengthening the system for approving road vehicles for use in Europe. The Greens welcomed the proposals, which would address some of problems with the current national-based 'type approval framework', but cautioned that...

EU NOx emissions - how the automotive industry shaped policy

A report by InfluenceMap

The subject of this report is to thoroughly map out the activities and positions of the key participants in the EU NOx policy process over the last decade and in the wake of the Volkswagen scandal to show in an objective fashion how the original, public health motivated intent of the EU system on NOx policy was captured to suit the economic needs of the automotive industry

#Dieselgate and the car lobby

A contribution from a transparency and democracy perspective

  Since the VW scandal started to unravel, the extent to which EU governments and regulators have either looked the other way or actively participated in dirty (air) decisions is one of the main questions the new European Parliament inquiry committee on "Dieselgate" will have to addre...

Car pollution scandal

EU Parliament inquiry committee takes shape

  The European Parliament today voted to approve the composition of the new parliamentary inquiry committee, set up to investigate the car pollution scandal. The 45 member committee will include 3 Green members: Greens/EFA co-president Rebecca Harms (DE), Bas Eickhout (NL) and Karima Delli (...

EU car pollution rules

Postponing vote on controversial car emissions is political chicanery

A much anticipated vote on draft EU rules on testing pollutant emissions from cars, which was foreseen for next week, will be postponed. The decision was taken at the Conference of Presidents of political groups today and was supported by the EPP and S&D political groups. The vote on the proposa...

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 14-18 December 2015

Greens/EFA priorities for the Strasbourg plenary included preventing approval of a genetically-modified maize variety; car pollution laws and real driving emissions tests; Europe's energy future; updating EU border and coastguard rules; finalising EU data protection reform; EU summit: refugee crisis and Paris attacks top agenda; Dieselgate, car pollution rules and the EU response; Sakharov Prize award for Raif Badawi; Hungary and basic democratic values; EU arms export rules: EU must prevent arms going to repressive regimes and terrorists.

Car pollution scandal

EU Parliament to set up inquiry on Green initiative

  The European Parliament's Conference of Presidents of political groups today agreed to the setting up of a parliamentary inquiry committee to investigate the car pollution scandal. The European Parliament will now vote as whole on the draft mandate for the committee in its plenary sess...

EU car pollution rules

Controversial car emissions tests rejected by MEPs

The European Parliament's environment committee this evening voted to reject a decision to introduce 'real driving emissions' (RDE) tests for measuring compliance with EU car pollution limits. The controversial decision by EU governments would create tests with such major loopholes ('...

Greens/EFA Round up

Debriefing of the Strasbourg plenary week 23-27 November 2015

Greens/EFA priorities for the Brussels plenary included EU cohesion policy and marginalised communities; EP tax investigation; Energy Union: stuttering European energy transition; European cooperation and defending democratic freedoms following the Paris attacks; Diesel gate, car pollution rules and the EU response; Greens/EFA events around the COP21 climate talks.