EU rejects German criticisms on car emissions scheme

(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission on Monday rejected criticism from the German automobile industry over its plans to enforce strong reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from cars.

The key to dealing with the problem of auto emissions, and the effect of global warming, "is to be ahead of the game, not sticking our heads in the sand," said Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger.

"Normally jobs are not lost when you pro-actively embrace change but when you reactively resist it," he told reporters in Brussels.

The EU's executive arm is preparing to present legislative proposals in the coming weeks to restrict CO2 emissions from cars to 120 grams per kilometre on average.

But the German auto industry voiced its oppostion in a joint letter over the weekend to the Commission, saying production of medium-and high-powered cars would shrink and jobs moved elsewhere.

"A strict limit of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre is not realistic and not realisable in a five-year period," the heads of Daimler-Chrysler, BMW, Volkswagen, Opel and Ford Germany said in the letter.

The Commission's plans, still to be finalised, speak of a European emissions average, which would not force the big people-carriers, for example, to strictly comply with the CO2 limit.

In 1998-1999 all carmakers selling in Europe agreed to a voluntary target of 140 grams of CO2 per kilogram in emissions by 2008-9, equivalent to 5.25 litres of diesel or 5.8 litres of petrol for 100 kilometres travelled under test conditions.

However in 2005 the emissions average was measured at 162 grams/kilometre, which Brussels took as a sign that voluntary agreements were not enough.

"There is the need for legislation to meet the targets," Laitenberger argued. "The debate now is on what exactly should be covered by the legislation."