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EU vehicle emissions standards set to create €9bn worth of new jobs

EU impact assessment touts economic and environmental benefits of imposing 2020 carbon targets on cars and vans

Forcing new vehicles to meet proposed tighter emissions standards could create €9bn of new jobs and save €36bn in fuel costs by 2030, according to draft EU estimates.

The European Union is considering setting a goal of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre for new cars from 2020, following on from the current goal of 130g/km by 2015, while the same target for vans may be set at 147g/km from the end of the decade, down from 175g/km by 2017.

Many car manufacturers have already exceeded the 130g/km target, prompting the EU to consider longer term standards. A working document assessing the impact of introducing the 95g/km limit seen by BusinessGreen outlines how spending on employment could rise by around €9bn, boosting GDP by an estimated €12bn, while improving air quality by cutting tailpipe emissions per vehicle kilometre by 27 per cent.

The document also reveals that total emissions between 2010 and 2030 are expected to fall by 24 per cent for cars and 13 per cent vans, as a result of the propsed standardsm, cutting carbon emissions by 422 million tonnes over the period.

In addition, it argues that vehicle fuel imports cost the EU some €100bn a year, and as such improving the efficiency of cars and vans to meet the proposed rules would secure drastic savings of €27bn per year from 2020 to 2025 and €36bn a year through to 2030.

Moreover, the impact assessment claims the aggregate energy security benefit between 2020 and 2030 associated with the standards would be in the region of €20bn.

The standards are also predicted to boost the European car industry's competitiveness, creating jobs and placing the market at the forefront of the fast expanding global low-carbon vehicle industry.

Meanwhile, hard-pressed drivers can expect a €500 annual fuel saving, paying back the cost of additional green technology within two years.

However, despite the projected emission savings green groups have labelled the proposed standards as insufficiently ambitious, pointing out that with many auto companies having already attained the 2015 standard, a greater cut should be achievable by the end of the decade.

Greg Archer, programme manager at campaign group Transport and Environment, said an 80g/km target would save consumers an additional €150 a year, on top of the projected €500 saving, adding that setting a goal of 60g/km by 2025 would keep the pressure on manufacturers to move to low-carbon transport.

(Source: Business Green)

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19 June 2012