EU New Strategy for Green Vehicles |
18 May 2010 |
The EU Commission's Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry recently adopted a Communication that sets out a strategy to encourage the development of clean and energy efficient vehicles. Since transport accounts for about 25% of Europe's CO2 emissions, this kind of vehicles could represent a significant tool to reduce the sector's impact on the environment. Member States have been developing different tax systems on vehicles in order to compensate CO2 emissions, but this effort should be coordinated in order to avoid market distortions. Moreover, especially in the case of electric vehicles, the lack of common standards as regards, for example, plugs and sockets, could discourage consumers. The strategy, therefore, aims at outlining a new legislation to reduce emissions from vehicles, supporting research and innovation in green technologies and setting new standards in terms of emissions for the performance of new vehicles. Specific actions to ensure clean vehicles safety and common rules allowing vehicles to be recharged indifferently in any European Member State are also accounted for in the strategy." |
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