Labour MEP Miriam Dalli will be leading the European Parliament in its negotiations on the European Unionʾs car emission standards beyond 2020, considered as one of the most critical EU legislations that can help reduce emissions across the EU.

“This legislation is not only about climate change targets alone but it will be my opportunity to push for better air quality, cleaner cars and citizensʾ safety. I will be working on this legislation as more news continue to unveil how Volkswagen cheated on emissions test and tested the impact of emissions on monkeys and humans alike. I will put the interests of citizens, workers, honest operators, innovation and research at the forefront,” the Maltese MEP commented on her appointment. 

The European Parliament had already recommended a 30% target back in 2013. In the Commission´s current proposal, this 30% reduction would only be met five years later.

“This is an issue that I will be looking into and addressing,” Miriam Dalli insisted.

The draft regulation tries to address three key problems: insufficient uptake of electric and low-emissions vehicles; the possibility that consumers might be missing out on fuel savings; and the EU´s risk of losing its competitive advantage due to insufficient innovation in low-emission automotive technologies.

The latest data released by Transport Malta and the National Statistics Office showed that there were 372,061 licensed motor vehicles in Malta as of December 2017, more than 78% of which were passenger cars. The data shows that 36 new cars are registered every day in Malta, whose island population is just over 400,000. 

Slightly above 60% of vehicles had petrol engines, with 39% running on diesel. Less than 1% of all vehicles on the road were electric or hybrid.

Between 2005 and 2014, the level of emissions from land transport in Malta grew by 16.4%.

“Reducing carbon emissions is about improving air quality for our citizens, encouraging manufacturers to innovate and give back the EU´s a competitive edge that benefits consumers and economies,” Miriam Dalli added.

In her role as rapporteur, Dr Dalli will be holding discussions with all stakeholders and push for the best possible deal with the European Council that puts consumers, public health, Europe’s competitiveness and climate change at its forefront.