EU measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport
The European Commission has published a first assessment of how it plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport in line with the agreements reached at Kyoto, in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The proposed measures aim to halve growth in CO2 emissions by 2010 and would involve: - Action on passenger car fuel economy: Technical improvement of fuel economy, supported by consumers choosing lower-consumption vehicles, with the aim of reaching an average CO2 emission value of 120 g/km, by 2010 at the latest, for all cars; - The Commission is also negotiating an environmental agreement with the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, which has presented a proposal for an agreement with a CO2 objective of 140 g/km from 2008; - Fair and efficient pricing in transport which could reduce CO2 emissions by 11.5% and would involve transport charges at the level of the user, for example road charging; - Completion of the internal market in rail transport, revitalizing the rail sector to provide a safe, efficient and reliable alternative to road freight transport; - Intermodal transport systems involving better integration of various modes of both freight and passenger transport. Other policy measures already proposed by the Commission or currently under preparation include improved logistics, the promotion of short sea shipping, improvement of air traffic management in civil aviation, fiscal measures and strategic environmental assessment of transport infrastructure. The Commission will present its proposals to the EU's Environment and Transport Ministers, and hopes that they will be able to adopt firm conclusions on implementing these measures at a joint Council meeting in June 1998.