Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-01-14-Speech-1-084"
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"en.20080114.14.1-084"2
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"Mr President, transport emissions are responsible for a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions. The number of cars per thousand inhabitants is increasing fast all over the world, so cars really must become sustainable. However, this is a message that is scarcely to be heard in the response of the Commission to the CARS 21 report and in the report itself. The document speaks about making cars cleaner and the competitiveness of the automotive industry but it makes no connection between these two things, while it is obvious that sustainable and economical cars are the future.
Indian and Chinese car manufacturers are sweeping the world with small, economical, clean and cheap cars. The European automotive industry meanwhile is fighting a rearguard action to be allowed to emit even more CO2. That is unfortunate for the environment but it is also unfortunate for employment in the European Union. The CARS 21 High Level Group was a missed opportunity to put in place a vision of a sustainable automotive industry, a vision that provides an answer to the real challenges.
Innovation is the key word here. In the United States a hydrogen highway is being laid and the market is being prepared for electric vehicles. Where are the European initiatives? Some car manufacturers have the prototypes ready, but there are still no hydrogen vehicles on the road. It is time for governments and industry to unite and work together in order to make rapid progress. Research alone is not enough.
The setting-up of high level groups is an excellent idea in theory, but unfortunately CARS 21 was dominated by a conservative branch of industry. It is really important that the composition of high level groups does justice to the challenges we are facing. Millions of new cars are going to come on to the market over the next few years and it would really help if they were clean and economical."@en1
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