Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-21-Speech-2-489"

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"en.20081021.44.2-489"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this proposal for a directive on the promotion of clean road transport vehicles in public institutions is highly bureaucratic and impractical. It really cannot be assumed that it will have any detectable effect on the environment. There is certainly nothing wrong with the objective; moreover, we support it. We also want, however, to try everything we can to bring about a proper climate in Europe. I cannot, however, go along with this bureaucratic approach, which actually creates more problems than it solves and does not constitute an improvement. If, as has been pointed out today on several occasions, the percentages of private cars and lorries involved are, respectively, just 1% and 6%, it can hardly be assumed that any effects are going to be felt. If the local authorities constantly have to calculate what is going to be produced by a vehicle in the course of its life and what costs it is going to give rise to and then have to make their purchasing decision in the light of these factors – and in view, too, of the objection that the directive will entail still more bureaucracy – then we are engaging in a wholesale repudiation of procurement law. What we are saying quite simply is that, now, something else is being decided. It is a fact that local authorities have to decide on the basis of price. Because what we have here is duplicate legislation, we are creating legal uncertainty. That is a very reprehensible state of affairs, which I cannot endorse. Even the compromise designed to tone things down does not bring about any improvement. We cannot anticipate any improvement in the climate. Nor can we anticipate any reduction of bureaucracy in the near future. Moreover, all this is happening just six months before the European elections. It is not you who needs to conduct this discussion, Commissioner. Rather, we must conduct it in the election campaign. If I am still here in two years’ time when the Commission presents its report, I can just foresee its saying: the measure has been unsuccessful; we need to tighten up the provisions. It will not see that it has made a mistake – just as it did not foresee the rejection two years ago – but will just go on to say that, as has emerged from the consideration given to the matter, passenger transport by private individuals needs now to be included. That is the objective, and I simply cannot go along with it. Our debate needs to be at grass-roots level, so the Commission also needs to be aware that, in this case, it needs to listen more to Parliament and the MEPs."@en1
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