Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a scheme to monitor the average specific emissions of carbon dioxide from new passenger cars'
Date: 1998-12-03
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: ESC opinion, environmental monitoring, motor vehicle, motor vehicle industry, motor vehicle pollution, pollution control measures

C 40/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

15.2.1999

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Decision
establishing a scheme to monitor the average specific emissions of carbon dioxide from new
passenger cars’ (1)

(1999/C 40/03)

On 9 July 1998 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 189c of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned
proposal.

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible
for preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 29 October 1998.
The rapporteur was Mr Gafo Ferna´ndez, and the co-rapporteurs were Mr Kallio and
Mrs Sa´nchez Miguel.

At its 359th plenary session (meeting of 3 December 1998) the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion by 42 votes in favour, no votes against and no abstentions.

1.

Introduction

Under Annex 4

The aim of the proposal is to establish a common
1.1.
mechanism for monitoring CO2 emissions from cars
registered for the first time in the Community and not
previously registered in another country.

1.2.
The proposal forms part of the Community
strategy on climate change and on the reduction of
passenger car emissions, as established by the Environ-
ment Council on 25 June 1996. This strategy was most
recently expressed in the conclusions of the Environment
and Transport Council of 16 and 17 June 1998, which
set an average CO2 emission target of 120g/km for
newly registered cars by the year 2005 and in no case
beyond 2010. The conclusions also called for the
establishment of a strong monitoring system in the light
of the Environment Council conclusions of 23 March
1998.

Account should also be taken of the recent
1.3.
agreement between the Commission and the European
Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). In the
agreement, which was welcomed by the Environment
Council of 6 October 1998, the ACEA undertakes to
achieve an average emission target of 140g of CO2 per
kilometre for new passenger cars sold in the EU by the
year 2008. In 2003, it will review the potential for
additional reductions with a view to achieving the global
target of an average 120g of CO2 per kilometre by the
year 2013.

1.4.
Under the proposed monitoring system, Member
States will be required to submit data on emissions of
vehicles registered in each country. The first set of data
must be submitted by 1 July 2001; thereafter, data for
each year are to be submitted by 1 April of the following
year. The following categories of data are to be supplied:

Under Annex 1

— Emissions for all newly registered passenger cars.

— Average total emissions (ATE) per manufacturer

and range of CO2 emissions;

— ATE per manufacturer, fuel type and range of CO2

emissions;

— ATE per manufacturer, fuel type, car mass in kg and

range of CO2 emissions;

— ATE per manufacturer, fuel type, range of engine

capacity and range of CO2 emissions.

1.5.
The Commission intends Member States to
establish these data using the harmonized type-approval
documentation for new vehicles that is specified in
Directive 70/156/EEC, as last amended by Directive
98/14/EC (2), and in current national registration sys-
tems.

1.6.
The Commission considers that only a few
Member States will need to extend the information they
currently require for the registration of new vehicles,
and that it is therefore not necessary for the present
decision to harmonize registration procedures. It does
however consider that the implementation of the decision
might require these procedures to be adjusted at national
level, even though EU harmonization is not planned.

2. General comments

2.1.
The Committee warmly welcomes the proposal.
The decision should help to achieve the desired reduction
in CO2 emissions, by verifying compliance with the
voluntary agreements concluded with car manufacturers
and, indirectly, by improving consumer awareness and
choice. This should further strengthen car manufac-
turers’ commitment to improve the efficiency of new

(1) OJ C 231, 23.7.1998, p. 6.

(2) OJ L 91, 25.3.1998.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 40/9

vehicles and should encourage Member States to intro-
duce fiscal and other schemes which speed up the
renewal of the car fleet and promote the most efficient
vehicles.

A number of Committee opinions (1) have high-
2.2.
lighted the need for an overall study of the impact which
changes in passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles (e.g.
stricter safety standards, reduction in noise emissions,
new fuel quality, recycling of scrap vehicles) have had
on energy consumption and thus on CO2 emissions. The
Committee feels that the introduction of the proposed
monitoring scheme brings an urgent need for such a
study in order to measure the actual progress made
regarding current CO2 emission levels, taking account
of all the abovementioned variables.

2.3.
The Committee thinks that in order to make the
proposed system as effective as possible, three further
measures should be considered:

Firstly, an individual vehicle labelling system
2.3.1.
should be established, to help consumers select the most
efficient vehicles for their particular needs, in line with
the Commission’s September 1998 proposal (2).

(1) See for example OJ C 89, 19.3.1997; OJ C 206, 7.7.1997;

OJ C 287, 22.9.1997.
(2) COM(1998) 489 final.

Brussels, 3 December 1998.

2.3.2.
Secondly, a national system of fiscal incentives
for the most efficient vehicles should be promoted. The
Commission should issue guidelines to ensure that this
system does not distort competition between countries
and/or manufacturers.

2.3.3.
Thirdly, it is very important for consumers not
only to be informed about the emissions of individual
vehicles (see 2.3.1) but also to be given the data for each
category of manufacturer, fuel type and other factors,
as referred to in Article 4 of the Commission proposal.
This information too should be published so as to help
the consumer make an environmentally responsible
choice.

2.3.4.
The Committee urges the Commission to come
to an agreement with the ACEA and the manufacturers
and importers of vehicles from third countries on the
publication of all the information referred to in point
2.3.3.

2.3.5.
The Committee urges the Commission to tie
this opinion in with the request made by the Environment
Council on 25 June 1996 — and reiterated in its
conclusions of 23 March 1998 — that the Commission
ensure that the ‘main car manufacturing countries
implement similar policies’ for reducing CO2 emissions,
given that importers should endeavour to take part in
all the measures which European manufacturers adopt
to improve efficiency, including emissions monitoring
systems.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI