EU Agrees to Cut Pollution From Lorries
Date: 17-Dec-08
Country: BELGIUM
BRUSSELS - Polluting particles from new European lorries and buses will have to be cut by two thirds by 2014, after the European Parliament voted in favor of new emissions curbs on Tuesday.
The Euro VI emissions limits aim to cut sooty particles to 66 percent below the existing limits, which took effect in October, with an 80 percent cut to nitrogen oxides.
The report was adopted with 610 votes in favor and 11 against.
"Since particles are responsible for more than 348,000 early deaths, I would have wished for more ambitious limit, but the packet achieved is a good compromise," said German socialist Matthias Groote who led the legislation through parliament.
"Oxides of nitrogen are dangerous for babies, children and elder people, since they lead to more ozone next to the ground," he added.
New vehicles will have to comply from January 1, 2014, several months earlier than the original proposal from the European Commission.
Jos Dings of environment group T&E welcomed the rules, but warned: "Lorries have a nasty habit of looking a lot cleaner in the testing laboratory than in the real world."
"Close monitoring will be needed to ensure nitrogen oxides and other harmful emissions really go down," he added.
(Reporting by Pete Harrison, editing by Anthony Barker)
